![]() ![]() You can keep a hard copy in a fire-proof home safe or a safe deposit box, if you rent one. If you have a written inventory, make sure to scan and email yourself a copy and store it digitally in the cloud. It’s important to keep your home inventory someplace safe and easily accessible. But ultimately there is no bad time to make a list of everything you own - as long as you’re doing so in advance of a loss.” “The best time to tackle a home inventory is during a move,” insists Howard, “as you can make a list of everything as you pack up or unpack in your new abode. ![]() Now if you’re in the process of moving, you find it easier to conduct your inventory then. “If you have items in a self-storage unit, make sure to include them, as they are usually covered under your home insurance policy,” says Amy Harris, State Farm spokesperson. ![]() ![]() You should also account for items being stored outside of your home. Don’t forget to check your shed, garage and attic for items you may want to include. To that end, a good bet is to tackle your home room by room until you’ve covered all items of value. Once you decide how you’ll conduct your home inventory, your next step is doing the actual work. From there, you can add captions or edits to include details about each item, such as when it was purchased and how much it cost. If you’d rather not use a home inventory app (or pay for one), you can take photos or videos of your belongings yourself. With a home inventory app, you typically take photos of your belongings and put them into categories. Then there’s the UPHelp Home Inventory app from United Policyholders. Sortly offers a free inventory app up to 100 entries, but if you want to take a more extensive inventory, you pay. Last year, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners introduced its own home inventory app. Many of these are free, though some limit you to a certain number of items before imposing a fee. There are a host of home inventory apps you can use to compile your data digitally. Using a notebook or spreadsheet, you can create a comprehensive list of the items you own, along with details such as purchase date and value.Ī digital inventory. Here are some options to consider:Ī written inventory. The first step in conducting a home inventory is deciding how you want to keep a record of your belongings. Brault adds that capturing items’ brands and serial numbers can be especially helpful when it comes to electronics. If you have receipts documenting your purchases, it pays to retain them. Once you narrow down your list of items to include, you should record each item’s: Some of the items you may want to list include: There’s no specific threshold for what that entails, but generally speaking, you don’t want to list every $20 item you own, but you may want to list items costing $100 or more. Your home inventory should include everything you own of substantial value. What Should Be Included in a Home Inventory? Plus, according to Pat Howard, a licensed property and casualty insurance expert at Policygenius, “A home inventory also helps ensure you’re purchasing the right amount of home or renters insurance coverage and accounting for items that require additional coverage, like an art collection.” “This is a good way to restore and put your life back together faster during that time.” “Having a loss in your home can be very stressful,” says Jennifer Brault, AVP, Claims Property Personal Lines at Nationwide. Having a record of your damaged goods could help you quality for the maximum amount of aid and help you move forward more quickly. That could, in turn, make it easier to file a claim against your insurance policy, and also, get paid on your claim much sooner.įurthermore, if your home is damaged in the course of a major storm, you may be eligible for local or federal assistance. With a home inventory, you will have an easier time getting at that information. If your home is subject to damage or a break-in, the last thing you’ll want to have to do after the fact is rack your brain trying to figure out which items of yours were impacted. Your insurance company may not require you to have a home inventory, but it’s a helpful thing to have nonetheless. While you don’t have to list every single item you own as part of your inventory, you should include all items of significant value. That’s where a home inventory comes in.Ī home inventory is a comprehensive list of your personal belongings, along with their monetary value. But it’s best to have an extensive list of your belongings before they’re damaged or stolen. Ideally, you’ll have homeowners or renters insurance in place to cover your damaged or stolen items. And you can’t rule out the possibility of a home break-in, either. You never know when your home might get damaged in a flood, fire or other disaster. ![]()
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