How to make a home inventory for insurance

After a fire, a burst pipe or a break-in, the hardest part of a claim is often the list. You are asked what you owned, when you bought it and what it cost — at the moment you least want to think about it. A home inventory made in advance turns that into a file you simply send.

This guide shows how to build one without spending a weekend on it.

What an insurer usually wants to see

Policies differ, so check yours, but most claims go faster when each item has:

• What it is — name, brand and model.
• Where it was — the room, and ideally the cupboard or shelf.
• Proof it existed — a photo of the item in your home.
• What it cost — the price and the purchase date, or a receipt.
• A serial number for electronics, tools and appliances.

You don't need all of this for every spoon. Start with what would be expensive or annoying to replace.

Start with a room-by-room pass

Walk through the home one room at a time and record the big things first: TV, laptop, furniture, appliances, bikes, jewellery, instruments, tools. A room-by-room order matters for two reasons: you won't miss a room, and after a loss you can answer "what was in the bedroom?" in seconds.

Then go one level deeper where it pays off: the wardrobe, the desk drawer, the garage shelves.

Photos: fewer, but useful

One clear photo per valuable item is better than a hundred blurry ones. Good habits:

• Shoot the item where it lives, so the photo also proves location.
• Add a second photo of the label with the model and serial number.
• For a shelf of small things, one wide photo of the whole shelf is enough.

Receipts and warranties

Receipts fade and get lost. Photograph them the day you buy something, and keep the warranty end date next to the item. You'll use it far more often for repairs than for insurance.

Keep a copy outside the house

An inventory that burns with the house doesn't help. Keep an exported copy (a spreadsheet or PDF) in your email or cloud storage, and update it after big purchases — twice a year is plenty.

Quick checklist

1. Walk room by room; record the expensive things first.
2. One photo per valuable item, plus a photo of its label.
3. Photograph receipts on the day of purchase.
4. Add serial numbers for electronics and tools.
5. Export a copy and keep it outside the house.
6. Update after big purchases, or twice a year.