The Importance of Doing a Home Inventory

A Home inventory is a resourcefully organized list, with photographs, of the private possessions to be found in and around your residence. This includes both the basic stuffs and the luxuries.

Why you need a Home Inventory

We all amass personal assets but rarely spend time to make an account. One should consider how hard it would be to record every misplaced item during a natural disaster or theft. Natural calamities and thefts can take place suddenly. In such a situation, you will have to make property claims to your home insurance company. Keeping a home inventory ready would be of big help in such situations. An efficient home inventory will make it easier for your insurance company to take into account all the things you have lost. Recording everything would certainly make it simple for you and for your insurer to process the home insurance claim.

How to Start Doing the Home Inventory

You can arrange your home inventory manually or with a PC. A computer based home inventory is always easier to use and update. You should first cover the rooms one by one. Make note of your luxury items, such as ornaments, antiques, artwork and paintings. Then make a list of furnishings, floor covering, gadgets such as Music System, Television, computers, etc. You can then move on to other stuffs like clothing, wall hangings, CDs, pans, tools, and things that didn’t arrive with the purchase of your house. You can make use of a camera to complement your home inventory with a videotape of your assets. Your home inventory items should also include the outdoor stuff like bicycles, patio equipment and anything kept outside.

Once you finish your home inventory, you should make an extra copy of everything record. This includes lists, receipts, disks, videotapes, printouts, etc. Keep one home inventory copy outside your premises – this could be a safe place in a relative’s home. And after that, make sure that you revise the home inventory details at least once in every six months.