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--> Download the Home Inventory Spreadsheet <--
The best time to document your belongings is when nothing has gone wrong yet.
A home inventory — a thorough record of what you own, what it's worth, and what condition it's in — is one of the most valuable things a homeowner can have when filing an insurance claim after a flood, fire, or other disaster. Yet most people never create one until they need it, at which point it's too late.
Here's a practical guide to building a home inventory that will genuinely protect you if the worst happens.
Why it matters for your insurance claim
After a loss, your insurer will ask you to provide a detailed list of damaged or destroyed items, their approximate age, and their value. Without prior documentation, recreating this list from memory while dealing with the stress of displacement and damage is extremely difficult — and incomplete lists mean you may not recover the full value you're entitled to.
A solid home inventory shifts the burden significantly. Instead of trying to remember what was in each room, you have a record. And when that record is supported by photos, receipts, and serial numbers, your claim is much harder to dispute.
How to build your home inventory
Step 1: Start room by room
Don't try to do the whole house at once. Pick one room and work through it systematically — furniture, electronics, clothing, appliances, decor, and anything else of value. Move to the next room when that one is complete.
Step 2: Photograph everything
Walk through each room with your smartphone and photograph every wall, every shelf, and every significant item individually. Open closets and drawers and photograph the contents. Take serial number photos for electronics and appliances. Don't worry about perfect photography — comprehensive beats beautiful.
Step 3: Record values and receipts
For high-value items — appliances, electronics, jewellery, furniture, art — note the purchase price, year of purchase, and current approximate value. Keep digital copies of receipts and warranty documents. Apps like Encircle (commonly used in insurance claims) can help you organize this information.
Step 4: Note specialty or high-value items separately
Items like jewellery, collectibles, musical instruments, antiques, or high-end electronics may need to be specifically scheduled on your insurance policy to be fully covered. Flag these for a conversation with your insurance broker.
Step 5: Back it up off-site
A home inventory stored only in your home is useless after a house fire. Store your documentation in the cloud (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox), email it to yourself, or keep a copy with a trusted family member. Your documentation is only as good as your ability to access it when you need it.
How often to update it
A home inventory isn't a one-time project — it needs to stay current. Build a habit of adding to it whenever you make a significant purchase: a new appliance, a piece of furniture, a major clothing purchase. A brief annual review (the first of the year is a natural time) to capture anything that's changed will keep it accurate without becoming a major recurring task.
How this connects to your restoration claim
When TRS responds to a loss at your home, a pre-existing inventory dramatically streamlines the contents assessment process. We can cross-reference what you had against what was affected, identify gaps, and build a comprehensive claim package much more efficiently.
Even a partial inventory is better than none. If you've photographed your living room and kitchen but not your bedrooms — that's still useful documentation for the rooms you covered.
A quick-start checklist
► Download our home inventory spreadsheet
► Schedule yourself to complete one room per weekend until you have a full home inventory
► Photograph all rooms, closets, and drawers
► Record serial numbers for electronics and appliances
► Document high-value items with receipts
► Back up everything to cloud storage
► Share the backup location with your insurance broker or a trusted contact
► Review and update annually
This is one of those tasks that feels low-priority until suddenly it isn't. The homeowners who feel most supported through a restoration loss are almost always the ones who had their documentation ready.
For questions about contents restoration or what to expect during a restoration, contact Total Restoration Services. We're here to help before, during, and after.