Why Do I Need To Keep A Home Inventory?

A home inventory is something that every person with home insurance should have. It will make the process of filing an insurance claim much quicker and easier, because insurance companies don’t have to guess how much they need to reimburse. In a time of crisis, no one wants to worry about is spending hours figuring out exactly what they lost.

Before starting a home inventory, check with your insurance company to see if there are any specific requirements or limitations on your insurance. If you check before you start, you don’t have to go back and fix information later.

There are a few important pieces of information to keep for each item when making a home inventory. They are:

• What the item is and a description
• The serial number of the item
• The date the product was purchased
• The receipt for the item
• Its estimated value or an appraisal if you have it

How you make your home inventory is up to you. You can use a pen and paper, an online tool such as knowyourstuff.org or itrackmine.com, or our pre-made inventory form. Make sure that no matter how a home inventory is made, it stays safe. This could mean it’s kept on an online cloud, at a friends house, or in a fireproof safe.

It will be easier for you to track your belongings if you physically walk in and around your house while you do it. To make your inventory even more detailed, take pictures or videos of the items you track.

Be prepared for an emergency and make your life easier by creating a home inventory before all your belongings are lost. Both you and your insurance provider will thank you!