Home inventory for insurance: what your insurer asks for

A home inventory is a list of what you own, room by room, with what each thing is, when you got it, what it cost, its serial number, a photo and the receipt. Keep a copy outside the house, update it once a year, and it’s what you hand your insurer if you ever file a claim.

What to record for each thing

The NAIC, the group of state insurance regulators, says to “Include as much information about your belongings as possible, such as brand name, the price you paid, date of purchase, make and model, and serial numbers,” and to “Take photos of each item and include any receipts” (NAIC).

For each thing	Where to find it
What it is, and its brand	On the thing, or the box it came in
Make and model	The label on the back, bottom or inside the door
Serial number	The same label. Photograph it.
When you bought it	The receipt, the order email, or your card statement
What you paid	The same
A photo	Take it where it sits in the room
The receipt	Keep it with the list

Go room by room

Start with the rooms that hold the most: the kitchen, the living room and the bedrooms. The NAIC says to look inside too, in drawers, closets and the garage (NAIC).

Short on time? The NAIC’s fallback is to “quickly videotape and/or photograph every room” (NAIC). Open the closets and cabinets as you film, and say what you know out loud.

How much your policy pays for it

An inventory also tells you how much coverage you need. The NAIC says, “A home inventory will help you figure out how much personal property insurance your policy should include” (NAIC).

Read how your policy pays. Replacement cost pays to replace a thing “without deducting for depreciation”. Actual cash value pays its worth “after depreciation”, which for an old couch can be very little. Jewelry, art and collectibles often have their own lower limit: “Typical homeowners or renter’s policies have limits on these types of belongings” (NAIC). If yours are worth more, ask your agent about adding coverage for them.

Keep it up to date, and keep a copy away from the house

• Once a year: “Review and update your inventory annually, including your pictures/videos” (NAIC).
• When you buy something big: “Keep receipts with your inventory for all repairs and new items you buy” (NAIC).
• Somewhere else: the NAIC says to store backups “somewhere besides your home, like with a family member or your insurance agent” (NAIC). The Insurance Information Institute says the same (III). A list that burns with the house doesn’t help.

If you have to file a claim

Call your insurer, then “Make a list of all your damaged property” (NAIC). Your inventory is the start of that list. Once it’s safe, take photos and videos of the damage.

How Homaic does it

Each room on your house’s page holds its things, and each thing keeps its brand, model, serial number, the day it was installed, when its warranty ends, its photos and its papers. To send it to an adjuster, open Handover, choose Share, and pick Adjuster. The link carries the house’s papers, the rooms, and each thing with its facts, papers and dated photos. It leaves out the work done, the dates coming up and the people. The sheet never shows what anything cost, so keep the receipt with the thing. The link ends on the last day you set, and Stop sharing ends it sooner.