How to Prepare a Thorough Inventory List for a Property Loss

Your home is full of your belongings, many or all of which may need to be replaced if your home is severely damaged. When you’re ready to make an insurance claim, you’re going to need a list of everything that was damaged in your home and that needs to be replaced.

Wait Until It’s Safe to Reenter Your Home

If your home was damaged in a fire or is structurally damaged, wait until the proper authorities have said it is safe for you to go inside your home again to ensure your safety. You need to make sure you can go through the home and take your time to do a complete inventory, and you cannot do that if the home is not structurally sound and you are not safe to enter it yet.

Start in One Room, Work Your Way Around

Be methodical about how you go through the damaged areas and list what needs to be replaced. If the whole home is destroyed, it can take a lot of time to go through and list everything you own.
Start in one room and just focus on one room at a time, listing everything in the room, before you move onto the next one. Mark off areas you’ve completed with tape or post-it notes so you don’t backtrack if you need to take a break and start again later.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Take photos of the rooms in the home and anything that was damaged. Photos help you prove that everything you listed needs to be replaced and can help the insurance company determine exactly how much to give you so you can replace the items. Plus, they can be used to help you remember everything you need to replace later so you can make sure you have everything you need.

Be Detailed When Possible, Including Serial Numbers

When you’re writing down the list of items to replace, be as detailed as possible with items that are expensive. For clothes, you might want to just list how many of what type of clothing, unless you have expensive designer clothing.

For electronics such as televisions or video game consoles, make sure you list exactly what it is as well as the serial number where possible. The more details you can provide, the easier it is for your insurance company to determine the full value to add to your settlement.

Take the time to follow the tips here to create an inventory of everything that was damaged and needs to be replaced along with the damage to your home. This way, your insurance company knows what is needed to return your home to the way it was before the damage.

If you need assistance with this or any part of your damage claim, contact a public adjuster. They’re going to help you go through the damage to your home to list exactly what needs to be repaired or replaced so you can maximize the settlement you receive.