Guides
How to make a home inventory for insurance
How to build a home inventory insurers will accept: what to record per item, how to shoot the video, where to store it, and which valuables need a closer look.
A home inventory is a dated record of what you own, with enough detail to prove each item existed and to price its replacement. The simplest version is a narrated video walk-through of every room, with the drawers and closets open, plus a list of the expensive things with brand, model, serial number and price. Stored somewhere other than your house, it can turn a contents claim from weeks of reconstruction into an afternoon of organizing.
You can build a workable first version in a weekend. This guide shows how, what to record, where the traps are, and how to use the result in a claim.
Why insurers want one
The standard ISO homeowners form (HO 00 03 05 11) lists, among your duties after a loss, preparing an inventory of damaged personal property showing the quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss, with the bills, receipts and records that support it. The burden of proving what you owned is on you. After a fire, flood or burglary, you are asked to do that from memory in a house that no longer has the items in it.
The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) notes that an accurate inventory helps settle a claim faster and helps you buy the right amount of insurance (Triple-I, How to create a home inventory). The NAIC, the association of state insurance regulators, tells claimants to keep a room-by-room inventory with photos or video and offers a free Home Inventory app (NAIC).
The inventory also answers a different question: is your personal property limit high enough? Coverage C is usually set as a percentage of your dwelling limit. Triple-I describes personal belongings as generally 50 to 70 percent of the dwelling amount (Triple-I), but nothing guarantees that percentage matches what is in your home (how much personal property coverage do you need?).
Pick a method
| Method | Good for | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|
| Narrated video walk-through | Speed; shows what is in drawers, closets and cabinets | Hard to search; serial numbers and prices need a separate list |
| Room-by-room photos | Clear images of labels, serial plates and valuables | Easy to skip a room |
| Free apps | Structured entry, barcode scanning, photo and receipt attachments. The NAIC's Home Inventory app and Triple-I's Know Your Stuff are both free | App changes or shutdowns; confirm you can export your data |
| Spreadsheet | Totals, sorting and a record you control | Slower to build |
| Paper list with receipts in a folder | Works without power or a phone | Burns with the house unless a copy lives elsewhere |
Most people do best with two layers: a video of everything, and a written or app-based list for anything worth more than a few hundred dollars. Check the current app store listings before relying on a particular app, and make sure you know how to get your data out of it.
What to record for each item
For ordinary belongings a grouped entry is enough: "5 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of sneakers," as Triple-I suggests for clothing. For anything of value, record:
| Field | Example (hypothetical) |
|---|---|
| Room | Living room |
| Item and description | 65-inch OLED television |
| Make and model | Brand, model number |
| Serial number | From the back or underside |
| Where and when bought | Retailer, month and year |
| Price paid | $1,400 |
| Proof | Photo of the item, photo of the serial plate, receipt in the folder |
Add condition and age if you can, because actual cash value depends on them. Triple-I advises storing receipts, purchase contracts and appraisals with the list.
A weekend plan
- Shoot the video. Walk through each room slowly, narrating what you see. Open every drawer, closet and cabinet, and pan across shelves. Keep clips short, one per room, and name the files.
- Do the garage, attic, basement and shed. Tools, sports gear, seasonal decorations and lawn equipment add up quickly and are the first things people forget.
- Include belongings in storage. Triple-I says belongings in a self-storage facility are covered by your homeowners policy and belong on the list. The 2011 ISO form limits that property to the greater of 10% of Coverage C or $1,000, so a full storage unit can exceed the limit; see your belongings away from home: off-premises coverage.
- Photograph valuables up close. Jewelry, watches, firearms, collectibles, art, instruments and electronics, with serial numbers visible where they exist.
- Gather the paper. Receipts, appraisals, warranty cards and credit card or online order histories can fill gaps.
- Enter the list. Start with the most expensive items and work down. An incomplete inventory is better than none.
- Add it up. Total your replacement cost by room and overall.
- Store copies off the property. A cloud folder, a relative's house, or a safe deposit box. The NAIC advises keeping the inventory somewhere other than your home, and Triple-I suggests photographing paper lists as a digital backup.
- Tell your agent. Send a copy or at least the valuables list, and ask whether any categories need a closer look.
The home inventory builder tool helps you tally rooms and categories as you go.
Where the inventory changes your coverage
Special limits
The ISO form caps what it pays for certain categories regardless of the Coverage C limit. In the 2011 edition, theft of jewelry, watches and furs is limited to $1,500, theft of firearms to $2,500, theft of silverware and related items to $2,500, and money to $200. Newer ISO editions raised several of these limits (the revision took effect March 1, 2022), and insurers use their own forms, so check yours. If your inventory shows $15,000 of jewelry and your policy limit for theft of jewelry is $1,500, you have found a gap before a burglar did. The fix is usually scheduled personal property coverage. See special limits on jewelry, firearms, cash and collectibles and scheduling jewelry, art and valuables.
Replacement cost versus actual cash value
Under the unendorsed ISO form, personal property is settled at actual cash value, which is replacement cost minus depreciation. A five-year-old couch that cost $1,800 may pay a fraction of that. Replacement cost coverage for contents is an endorsement on most policies. The inventory shows the size of the difference. Say your belongings would cost $90,000 to replace new, and depreciation across the house is, hypothetically, 40 percent. An ACV settlement is about $54,000, and the $36,000 gap is what the endorsement buys. See replacement cost vs actual cash value: why it matters.
Business and home-office property
The ISO form limits business property on the premises to $2,500 (2011 edition). A home-based business with computers, inventory and equipment may need a separate endorsement or policy; see business property at home: what a homeowners policy pays. Keep business items in their own section of the inventory.
Pricing the list
Record what you paid, but also note what it costs to buy a comparable item today. A claim is priced at replacement cost less depreciation (or just replacement cost with the endorsement), not at the old receipt. The NAIC suggests searching online retailers to estimate replacement cost for items you cannot document.
Do not inflate values. A padded inventory is a misrepresentation, and the policy's concealment-or-fraud condition can void a claim over it (padding a claim: the penalties and the policy fraud clause).
If you do not have an inventory when a loss happens
You can rebuild one, though it takes longer and invites more questions. Sources that work:
- Photos and videos on your phone, laptop and cloud account. Background shots show furniture, electronics and art.
- Photos from family and friends taken at holidays and parties, as the NAIC suggests.
- Credit card, bank and online retailer order histories.
- Warranty registrations, appliance manuals and installation invoices.
- Your contractor or the previous owner for built-in items.
- A room-by-room walk through your memory, with a spouse or relative to prompt you.
The contents claim itself is covered in filing a personal property claim: the contents list.
Keeping it current
Review the inventory once a year, at renewal, and after any major purchase, inheritance or gift. Re-shoot the video if you remodel. Update your valuables list when an appraisal is more than a few years old, because jewelry, art and collectible prices move. If your total has grown past your Coverage C limit, raise the limit or add an endorsement (your annual homeowners insurance review).
Key takeaways
- An inventory is a dated list plus photos or video, and you need it because the policy puts the burden of proving your loss on you.
- Cover every room, the garage, the attic and any storage unit, and open the drawers and closets on camera.
- Record make, model, serial number, price and proof for valuable items, and group ordinary items such as clothing.
- Store a copy away from the house and update it every year; free tools from the NAIC and Triple-I make that easy.
- Use the totals to check your personal property limit, special limits and whether you want replacement cost coverage for contents.