How to build a home inventory for a claim

What a home inventory is

A home inventory is a list of the things in your home, room by room, with enough detail that someone who has never been inside could picture each item. In a property claim it is usually the document that describes your belongings.

Some insurers have their own inventory form or spreadsheet. Ask for it early, so you build the list once in the format they want instead of copying it over later.

Work by room, not by kind of thing

Pick one room and finish it before you move on. Stand in the doorway and take a wide photo, then work your way around the walls: furniture, then shelves, then closets and drawers.

Going room by room keeps the list from sprawling, and it makes gaps easy to spot. A bedroom with no clothing listed stands out right away.

What to write down for each item

• A plain, specific name: "oak dining table", not "table".
• The brand and model, where you can see or remember them.
• Serial numbers for electronics and appliances.
• Roughly when and where you bought it.
• What you paid, if you know it.
• Its condition before the damage, in a few words.
• Which photos and receipts go with it.

Photos and receipts

Start with the photos you already have. Your camera roll, old listings, and family pictures often show furniture and electronics in the background. Order confirmations in your email and purchase history in store accounts can stand in for paper receipts.

When there is no receipt, write a short note about where the item came from. Before you throw away anything damaged, ask your insurer whether they want to see it or want photos of it first.

If you are doing this after the damage

Nobody remembers everything on the first pass. Walk through the list again a few days later, look through photos of closets and drawers, and ask the people you live with what they remember.

Keep a separate list of items you know you had but cannot document yet. Add them to the inventory as proof turns up.

Leave the values to the process

Write down what you know, like what you paid and when. How items are valued for a claim is set by your policy and your insurer, so do not guess at it in the list. If you are unsure what to include, ask your insurer.

Where Radby fits

Radby keeps the inventory room by room, with each item's photos and receipts attached, and shows which items are still missing one. Home Inventory is free, so you can start before anything goes wrong.