A lot has changed over the past couple years and many families have spent more time than ever at home. This includes everything from updating your home office to new additions to the home like kitchen upgrades and new entertainment for the entire family.
It’s no surprise that with all the changes around the home, you’re probably not 100% confident in exactly what valuables you have, and where they are documented! Today, we are going to share an outline on how to document each of these for insurance purposes so you are confident and prepared in the face of any incident.
Making Your Inventory List
It’s a great time to create or update your home inventory for your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. You should record a list of things like valuables, appliances, and other household items in case of emergency in the future.
Here’s how to get started:
- Start with big ticket items. Record serial numbers, makes and models of your appliances and electronics. Take photos of your receipts if you have them, and note when and where you purchased them.
- Next, move on to your most recently purchased items. These are the things that are likely to be missing from the last time you created an inventory list.
- Include valuables like jewelry, family heirlooms (including appraisal) and inventory clothing by category (make notations for designer or more expensive pieces).
- Take photos or videos of your artwork, along with receipts or appraisals.
- Take photos or videos of all furniture, noting antiques or particularly valuable pieces.
- Organize and store warranty information, receipts, and appraisals in a fire proof box or scan and upload to the cloud. Keep multiple copies in a few safe places, like a safety deposit box at your bank, filed at your away-from-home office, and an additional set with a trusted relative or friend.
- Don’t forget off-site items. Your belongings kept in a self-storage facility are covered by your homeowners insurance too. Make sure you include them in your inventory.
- Use technology to make your home inventory easier. Take photos or videos. Create a private YouTube channel or photo library to save in the cloud so you won’t have to worry about storing the data you record.
- Taking video gives you the advantage of being able to narrate anything notable about the item, saving you time from writing it down.
Get Started
Like all things in insurance, it pays to be prepared. Rather than waiting for a potential natural disaster like a flood, fire, or even theft to record the items in your home, serial numbers, and warranty information, now is the time to make a list.
If you need help putting your list together or have questions on what should be included, we encourage you to reach out to our team today.