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Home Inventory

Everyone who rents and apartment or owns their own home knows the laundry list of items in their possession. Obviously the longer you have been on your own, and usually the larger the home, the more "stuff" you have. In the event of a disaster you should have record of all of the items that need to be replace. Do you have a list of your possessions to give to your insurance company? Where would you even begin?

When all your property disappears, or is destroyed, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember every item that is gone. One method to help ensure accuracy is to take a video. I tell my customers to take a video of their home or apartment that shows all of their belongings. Narrate the video and be sure to open all the closet doors, dresser drawers, and kitchen cupboards as well. Be as detailed as you can to eliminate problems if an unfortunate event occurred. Make two copies and be sure to label them.

An inventory list is also a great way to keep records. Start by making categories of your property, for example, clothing, furniture, electronics etc… Keep all of your sales receipts for items with the inventory list. For more expensive items, keep serial numbers with the list or engrave them on the item itself. I know some companies offer a premium discount for doing this. Don’t keep the original list in your home. Make a copy and leave one at home and one somewhere else. Not only will the list help you remember what you have lost, but also help with the replacement and the replacement value of the items destroyed. It will take out any guesswork from you and the claim rep.

The short amount of time it takes to create this list or video will be well worth the aggravation and time saved settling an insurance claim.