Home inventory for insurance: complete guide & template

In a homeowner’s policy claim, a clear evidence package matters. After burglary, fire, or water damage, many people are missing photos, receipts, or values. This guide shows how to build an inventory that can support a claim.

What insurers often ask for

Most policies don’t demand a pre-loss inventory — but in a claim they often ask for a credible loss schedule. Depending on the policy, that can include:

• List of every lost item with description
• Value at time of loss (replacement cost in most policies)
• Receipts where available (invoice, bank statement, photo)
• For higher-value items: appraisal or formal valuation

Without such material, losses are much harder to substantiate.

What belongs in a home inventory

Minimum coverage

• Furniture (especially designer or antique pieces)
• Electronics (TVs, computers, audio, smart home devices)
• Appliances (espresso machines, professional cookware)
• Clothing (especially designer, fur, custom-tailored)
• Books and collections (record collections, libraries)
• Sports gear (e-bikes, skis, golf sets)
• Jewelry and watches (separately, as scheduled valuables!)

Capture by room

Practical tip: create a separate “safe” entry per room in the app (“Living room”, “Bedroom”, “Office”, “Basement”). The inventory stays organized, and in a claim you can reconstruct losses room-by-room.

Estimating values correctly

Standard contents

• Furniture: replacement cost, not 10-year-old purchase price
• Electronics: current new price (most policies are replacement-cost; old models are replaced at current pricing)
• Clothing: realistic replacement — no fantasy prices

Scheduled valuables (jewelry, watches, art)

• Up to ~$5,000: your own estimate with photo and receipt usually suffices
• Above ~$5,000: a written appraisal from a certified appraiser (typically $50–$250 — usually money well spent)
• Above ~$25,000: annual revaluation recommended, especially in volatile markets (watches!)

Photo standards

Per item, at minimum:

1. Overview photo showing the entire item with a scale reference (a $5 bill works)
2. Detail photo (materials, hallmarks, logos)
3. Serial number (electronics, watches — macro mode)
4. Receipt photo (invoice as PDF or photo)

The app stores multiple photos per item — use them.

Where to keep the inventory

Not in the house. In a fire, the documentation burns with the contents. Options:

• iCloud Sync of the app (in Apple’s encrypted cloud)
• Periodic PDF backup to a trusted cloud or attorney
• At a relative’s home (password-protected PDF on a USB drive)

Template: structured approach

Phase 1: Inventory (1–2 weekends)

• Walk through each room, photograph every valuable
• App entry with photo, value, receipt if available
• Scan or photograph receipts, attach to items
• For unclear values: brief online research (eBay sold prices as an indicator)

Phase 2: Appraisals (for items over ~$5,000)

• Schedule appraiser visits (jewelry: GIA-certified appraisers; watches: specialized auction houses; art: galleries, museum contacts)
• Attach appraisal PDF to each item in the app

Phase 3: PDF report and storage

• Annually: master report “all rooms” with activity history, optionally password-protected
• Store off-site (see above)

Phase 4: Maintenance

• After every purchase over ~$1,000: capture in the app
• Annual re-inventory: mark missing items as “removed” (history stays auditable)

Common mistakes

• A rough list in a spreadsheet — without photos, unprovable
• Inventory on the home PC that burns with the house — no off-site backup
• “It’s all covered up to $100k anyway” — policy limits do not replace evidence
• Missing the scheduled-valuables sublimit — jewelry and watches often have their own much lower caps