Having an inventory of your possessions, especially those of higher value, can help you get the most out of an insurance claim. 

If you have recently been transferred to the Birmingham or Huntsville, Alabama, area or are otherwise moving to this beautiful state, you have a great opportunity to create an easy home inventory that can help you if you experience a disaster or theft. During a move, you are unpacking and placing items in your home anyway, so why not create a list by room of your possessions and snap a few photos in the process. 

For items of high value that will be transported, you may wish to undertake this process prior to the move, while you are packing up, so you have a record in case those pieces go missing in their travels. 

A home inventory doesn’t have to include every book title or piece of clothing. In fact, it could be sufficient to hang all your clothes and shelve all your books then take a picture of the finished product. If you have furs, first editions or other highly valuable pieces, like a $2,000 purse or expensive jewelry, you should note and photograph those separately (with a receipt or credit card statement if you still have it). In fact, you might need to itemize such belongings on your homeowners insurance policy or obtain a personal articles floater addendum to your home insurance policy to make sure those are properly covered. An IOA home insurance agent can help you with such details. 

Some people choose to put everything in its place and then do a video of the entire house, pulling out special items for particular spotlighting. 

When doing your inventory, remember to include upgrades you’ve made to the home, such as adding hardwood flooring, installing custom cabinets or adding high-end appliances. If you have the contract for the work or the receipts from the DIY store, it’s best to include those. Even top-of-the-line doors and bath fixtures should be included. 

Whatever way you decide to go, make sure you clearly document the quality of your furniture, area rugs and clothing. Homeowners insurance policies often default to “actual cash value” reimbursement for destroyed personal possessions. That provision factors depreciation into the calculation of how much you are due, so being able to show things in like-new condition could help with your claim payout. Even if you have opted for replacement cost coverage, providing photographic evidence or a receipt can help you get the correct value after a loss. 

Having documentation on your home’s contents can also help speed up a claim. An adjuster can easily see what was in a home before a fire or tornado instead of estimating based on the “normal” home or waiting for damaged items to be pulled out of wreckage. 

It’s a good idea to keep your inventory in your safe room or fireproof box along with your vital papers and to upload a digital copy to the cloud. You can do that by emailing it to yourself (and not deleting it) or storing it in an online document folder, like OneDrive or iCloud. Storing it only on your home computer or a laptop isn’t a great idea because that device could be destroyed or stolen and the inventory along with it. 

While doing a home inventory at any time is encouraged, completing one during a move is super easy, and you will be very glad you took the time if you ever have a homeowners insurance claim.  

IOA personal insurance agents and insurance claims advocates have seen the value of a home inventory in action and can give you pointers when you get a policy from us or conduct your annual insurance review. Contact an IOA agent to get started on home insurance for your Alabama home.