# Home Inventory: [Address or household name]

> A room-by-room list of what you own, with the evidence an insurer or
> adjuster usually asks for after a fire, flood, burglary or move:
> description, quantity, make and model, serial number, purchase date,
> price, an estimated replacement cost, and where the photo or receipt
> is kept. Based on the public preparedness advice to "document and
> insure your property" (Ready.gov Financial Preparedness, updated
> 2026-03-13) and on common insurance claim practice. Replace every
> `[bracketed]` value and every row marked *Example*. This is a
> record-keeping format, not insurance, legal or financial advice: your
> policy wording and your insurer decide what is covered and how a
> claim is valued.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Walk the home one room at a time, left to right, and photograph each
  wall before you list items. A short video walk-through with spoken
  notes is a fast first pass; this file is where you turn it into a
  list an adjuster can read.
- Record the serial number for every electronic item and appliance.
  It is the single most useful fact after a theft.
- Keep a copy away from the home (encrypted cloud storage, an
  encrypted drive at a relative's home, or a printed copy elsewhere).
  An inventory that burns with the house is of no use.
- Fill section 4 (High-value items) first: those are the items most
  likely to exceed a policy's per-item limit.
- Related templates: Insurance Review (`personal/insurance-review`),
  Emergency Document File (`personal/emergency-document-file`), Home
  Maintenance Log (`personal/home-maintenance-log`), Moving Checklist
  (`personal/moving-checklist`).
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Date every version. Insurers look at how recent the evidence is, so the "Last full walk-through" date matters as much as the content. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [INV-001] |
| Household | [Names] *(Example: the Lindqvist-Barros household)* |
| Property address | [Address] |
| Property type | [House / flat / rented room / storage unit] |
| Owner or tenant | [Owner / tenant] |
| Contents policy | [Insurer, policy number last 4 digits, renewal date] |
| Contents sum insured | [Amount and currency] |
| Last full walk-through | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Next review | YYYY-MM-DD (at least once a year and after any large purchase) |
| Off-site copy kept at | [Location] |
| Classification | Private: lists valuables and where they are |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@owner] | First full walk-through |
| 1.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@owner] | *Example:* Added new laptop, removed sold sofa |

## Contents

1. [Before you start](#1-before-you-start)
2. [Room summary](#2-room-summary)
3. [Item register by room](#3-item-register-by-room)
4. [High-value items](#4-high-value-items)
5. [Evidence and storage](#5-evidence-and-storage)
6. [After a loss: claim worksheet](#6-after-a-loss-claim-worksheet)
7. [Review checklist](#7-review-checklist)
8. [References](#8-references)

## 1. Before you start

<!-- Guidance: Five minutes of setup saves hours later. Decide the currency, the folder for photos and the naming rule before you photograph anything. -->

Set up three things before the walk-through:

1. **One folder for evidence**, with a sub-folder per room. Name each
   photo with the item ID used below, for example `KIT-004-serial.jpg`.
2. **One currency and one valuation basis.** This template records both
   the price you paid and today's replacement cost (what a similar new
   item costs now). Many contents policies settle on one or the other,
   or apply a deduction for wear: check which your policy uses.
3. **An ID rule.** Use a three-letter room code and a running number:
   `LIV-001`, `KIT-001`, `BED1-001`. IDs let the photo, the receipt and
   the table row point at each other.

Do not store passwords, safe combinations or alarm codes here. Write
where a receipt or certificate is kept, not the contents of a safe.

## 2. Room summary

<!-- Guidance: Totals per room, recomputed from section 3. Compare the grand total with the contents sum insured in Document control: if replacement cost is well above the sum insured, you may be underinsured. -->

| Room code | Room | Items (by quantity) | Total paid | Total replacement cost | Photos done | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIV *(Example)* | Living room | 3 | 2,500 | 2,650 | Yes | YYYY-MM-DD |
| KIT *(Example)* | Kitchen | 8 | 2,490 | 2,810 | Yes | YYYY-MM-DD |
| BED1 *(Example)* | Main bedroom | 3 | 5,000 | 5,400 | Yes | YYYY-MM-DD |
| [Code] | [Room] | [N] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Yes / No] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| **Total** | | **14** | **9,990** | **10,860** | | |

*Example:* the three example rooms add up to 10,860 in replacement
cost against 9,990 paid. The rest of the home (hallway, bathroom,
garage, loft, garden) still has to be listed before the total can be
compared with the sum insured.

## 3. Item register by room

<!-- Guidance: One row per item or per matching set. Quantity times unit value gives the line value. Use "est." for estimates and say where the estimate came from in Notes. -->

Values below are line totals (quantity times unit value), in [currency].

### 3.1 Living room (LIV)

| ID | Item | Qty | Make and model | Serial no. | Purchased | Paid | Replacement cost | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIV-001 *(Example)* | Three-seat sofa | 1 | [Brand] [Model] | n/a | YYYY-MM | 1,200 | 1,450 | Photo, receipt | Fabric, grey |
| LIV-002 *(Example)* | Television, 55 inch | 1 | [Brand] [Model] | [Serial] | YYYY-MM | 900 | 750 | Photo of serial label | Newer models cost less |
| LIV-003 *(Example)* | Wool rug | 1 | [Maker] | n/a | YYYY-MM | 400 | 450 | Photo | est. from retailer site |

### 3.2 Kitchen (KIT)

| ID | Item | Qty | Make and model | Serial no. | Purchased | Paid | Replacement cost | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIT-001 *(Example)* | Refrigerator | 1 | [Brand] [Model] | [Serial] | YYYY-MM | 1,600 | 1,750 | Receipt, photo | Warranty to YYYY-MM |
| KIT-002 *(Example)* | Cookware set | 1 | [Brand] | n/a | YYYY-MM | 350 | 400 | Photo | 10 pieces |
| KIT-003 *(Example)* | Dining chairs | 6 | [Brand] | n/a | YYYY-MM | 540 | 660 | Photo | 90 paid, 110 now, each |

### 3.3 Main bedroom (BED1)

| ID | Item | Qty | Make and model | Serial no. | Purchased | Paid | Replacement cost | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BED1-001 *(Example)* | Bed frame and mattress | 1 | [Brand] | n/a | YYYY-MM | 1,100 | 1,300 | Receipt | King size |
| BED1-002 *(Example)* | Laptop | 1 | [Brand] [Model] | [Serial] | YYYY-MM | 1,400 | 1,200 | Receipt, serial photo | Back up data separately |
| BED1-003 *(Example)* | Wristwatch | 1 | [Brand] [Model] | [Serial] | YYYY-MM | 2,500 | 2,900 | Valuation certificate | See section 4 |

### 3.4 [Room name] ([Code])

| ID | Item | Qty | Make and model | Serial no. | Purchased | Paid | Replacement cost | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [CODE-001] | [Item] | [N] | [Make, model] | [Serial] | YYYY-MM | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Photo / receipt] | [Notes] |

Rooms people often forget: hallway cupboards, bathroom, laundry,
garage and shed (tools, bicycles, garden equipment), loft or basement
storage, the car boot, and items stored away from home (storage unit,
a child's student room, a holiday home).

## 4. High-value items

<!-- Guidance: List anything above your policy's single-item limit, plus jewellery, watches, art, collections, musical instruments and specialist equipment. Ask your insurer whether these need to be named on the policy. -->

| ID | Item | Replacement cost | Policy single-item limit | Named on policy? | Valuation date | Valuer or source | Where certificate is kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BED1-003 *(Example)* | Wristwatch | 2,900 | [Example: 2,000] | [Yes / No / to ask] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Jeweller] | [Location] |
| [ID] | [Item] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Yes / No] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Source] | [Location] |

*Example:* the watch's replacement cost (2,900) is above an example
single-item limit of 2,000, so it is a question to raise with the
insurer at renewal. Valuations of jewellery and art age quickly; note
when the next valuation is due.

## 5. Evidence and storage

<!-- Guidance: Say where every kind of evidence lives, and test that someone else in the household can find it. -->

| Evidence | Where the original is | Where the copy is | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room photos and video | [Phone, folder name] | [Encrypted cloud folder] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Receipts and invoices | [Folder or email label] | [Scanned copy location] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Valuation certificates | [Location] | [Scanned copy location] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Warranty documents and manuals | [Location] | [Link] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| This inventory | [Device] | [Off-site copy] | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 6. After a loss: claim worksheet

<!-- Guidance: Use this section only after an incident. Copy the affected rows from section 3, then record what was reported and when. Keep every message from the insurer. -->

Questions to answer before you call your insurer:

- What happened, when, and which rooms were affected?
- Have you reported a theft to the police and noted the crime or
  incident reference, if your insurer requires one?
- Which items are damaged and which are missing?
- What temporary repairs did you make to prevent further damage, and
  did you keep the receipts and photos of the damage first?
- What deadline does your policy set for notifying a claim?

| Claim item | Inventory ID | Damaged or missing | Replacement cost claimed | Evidence sent | Insurer response | Settled amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Item] | [ID] | [Damaged / missing] | [Amount] | [Photo, receipt] | [Date and decision] | [Amount] |

| Claim log | Value |
|---|---|
| Incident date | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Claim reference | [Reference] |
| Adjuster or handler | [Name, contact] |
| Police or incident reference | [Reference, if any] |
| Date claim notified | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 7. Review checklist

<!-- Guidance: Run this once a year, ideally a month before the contents policy renews. -->

- [ ] New purchases added, sold or broken items removed.
- [ ] Replacement costs refreshed for the ten most valuable items.
- [ ] Grand total compared with the contents sum insured.
- [ ] High-value items checked against the single-item limit.
- [ ] Photos still open and the off-site copy is current.
- [ ] A second household member knows where this file is.

## 8. References

<!-- Guidance: Add the claim guidance page of your own insurer and your regulator's consumer page. Dates show when each source was last checked. -->

| Reference | Checked | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ready.gov, Financial Preparedness (FEMA), https://www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness | Page updated 2026-03-13, checked 2026-10-30 | Document and insure property, keep copies of policies with critical records, store copies where you can reach them in a disaster |
| [Your insurer's claim guide] | [Date] | [Notification deadline, valuation basis] |
| [Your insurance regulator's consumer page] | [Date] | [Complaints route] |

## Standard and licence note

Based on the public preparedness guidance published on Ready.gov (a US
federal government work) and on common home-insurance claim practice.
The structure, text and examples are original; the household and all
amounts are fictional. Ready.gov and FEMA are named only to identify
the source; this template is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Contents insurance terms, valuation bases and claim deadlines differ by
insurer and country: check your current policy wording and ask your
insurer or a qualified adviser. Template licence: MIT.