What is a home inventory?

It’s a catalogue or list of all the items in a home, right down to the last drawer. Everything from jewelry, to art, clothing, shoes, bags, toys, and so on. Included with each item listed is a short description, what it’s worth, and what it looks like. This can take the form of a physical copy or a digital file, and it is important for everyone to have one. With an inventory list, people can keep track of all their assets. Keep in mind that this could also include items not in a main residence, like items in a vacation home, trailer or storage unit.

This may seem like a unessential activity, but a home inventory can be very useful in the event of a fire, natural disaster, or incident that requires a person to have proof of what they own to submit for estate or insurance purposes. When these incidents occur, they are usually without warning and require people to prove what they own in order to get anything back for what was lost. During a difficult time it can be hard to try and think back to everything that was in a home, and in most cases, an insurance company will not just take a person’s word for it and still require proof of the items owned (especially for high value items or heirlooms like jewelry). As a result, it is important to start putting together a list of possessions and finding a safe place to store it so it is protected and easily accessible. It is also a good idea to let a family member or friend know about the list and where it is stored so they can access it in case of an emergency.

How to create a home inventory

At minimum, the easiest way to take an inventory of a home is to take a video of every drawer, shelf, cupboard, and closet in every room of the home. Film everything that is in the home. Once everything is captured on film, upload the video file to a drive or storage cloud so it can be accessed from anywhere. Consider sharing the link or providing access to a family member or friend, so someone else can find and use it easily. However, this is only one simple way to create an inventory, with only basic information. The best way to create an inventory is to go through each item one room at a time. Take a picture of each item and save it in a file along with a title, description of what it is, and value or approximate value. This file can then be added to a drive/cloud storage, or printed and stored somewhere safe. Don’t forget to keep updating it with any new possessions added to the home!

While it may seem that something like this is not necessary, there are many different events or tragedies that can occur at any given time that will require people to know what they have in their home. Take the time to look over personal possessions and put together an inventory to be prepared for anything that may happen.