What is a home contents inventory list and why you should have one

How do You Make a Home Contents Inventory List

It is important that your home contents inventory list is detailed and accurate. To begin, you should organize items in your home by room. This way, if there is damage to only parts of the house, you know exactly what was lost. For example, do not create a section for TVs. Instead, make a section called ‘bedroom’ and make sure to put only the TV that is located in the bedroom in this section.

Your list must include everything about the item! We recommend keeping the make and model of all your property, along with the date it was purchased, a description, and the estimated value of the object. Remember that you can never have too much information – the more information you provide about lost items, the better.

What Not to Do when making a Home Contents Inventory List

Don’t keep your list printed out under your bed or only on the computer in your living room. Instead, have it located in multiple places. You can even keep it at other properties or in the “cloud” to ensure you will always have a copy in case something happens.

Don’t forget to update your home contents inventory list. It is easy for us to buy new appliances or other items and forget to update the old ones. This isn’t good! You will be disappointed when your list has a ten – year old refrigerator on it after you just bought a brand new one.

Don’t forget the little things. Yes, things like clothing, artwork, and collectible items count. Your purse may be just as valuable as your computer, but when it’s not on the list, it has little to no value at all.

Tips for Your List

• Add as soon as you buy. The easiest way to make sure you don’t forget any important items is to add them as soon as you buy them. This way you know they are there. Similarly, remove items when you throw them out.
• Photos! Yes, you can add photos to your list. If you don’t feel like your descriptions of the items are up to par, just snap a photo and make sure to keep it with the rest of your list.
• You can make videos, too.
• Categories. We already mentioned organizing objects into the rooms they are kept in, but you can go further than that. For example, in your bedroom category, add sections like ‘clothing’ and ‘furniture’. This keeps everything organized.
• Keep receipts. You can do this too. Make sure they are in a safe place, though.

The Landau Law Group: Florida Property Damage Attorneys

Things happen and the best way to make sure you are getting the most out of your property is to protect it. Contact Landau Law today for a free consultation with an attorney and guarantee you are doing the right thing with your property.

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