Home Inventory Template

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.

Document control

Revision history

Contents

1. Before you start
2. Room summary
3. Item register by room
4. High-value items
5. Evidence and storage
6. After a loss: claim worksheet
7. Review checklist
8. References

1. Before you start

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

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

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

3.1 Living room (LIV)

3.2 Kitchen (KIT)

3.3 Main bedroom (BED1)

3.4 [Room name] ([Code])

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

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

6. After a loss: claim worksheet

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?

7. Review checklist

• 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

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.