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Home Inventory for Insurance: How to List What You Own

Quick question: how many pairs of shoes are in your closet right now? What brand is your TV? When did you buy the couch?

Most of us couldn't answer those without walking over to check. That's fine on a normal day. It's a real problem after a fire, a burst pipe, or a break-in, when you're asked to list everything you lost from memory, while you're stressed and maybe not even able to get back inside.

A home inventory is simply a list of what you own, with enough detail to describe it later. It takes an afternoon to start and a few minutes a year to keep current. Here's how to make one that's actually useful, with or without an app.

One note before we start: this is general organizing advice, not insurance advice. Every policy is different. Ask your insurance agent or company what records they'd want from you, and read your own policy for what it covers.

Start with the rooms that cost the most

Begin where the most expensive things live, so the list is useful even if you only finish part of it.

For most homes that means the living room (TV, speakers, furniture), the kitchen (appliances, cookware), and the main bedroom (electronics, jewelry, clothing). The garage is often next, because tools, bikes, and outdoor gear add up fast.

Leave low-value rooms like the linen closet for later. A list that covers the big rooms today is worth more than a perfect list you never finish.

Pick one room, set a timer for 30 minutes, and stop when it goes off. You'll be surprised how far you get.

Walk each room with your phone

Photos and a short video capture more than you'd ever think to write down.

Stand in the doorway and slowly film the whole room, including the walls and the ceiling. Then open the closets, cabinets, and drawers and film inside them too. Talk as you go if it helps: "This is the dresser we bought in 2021, the TV is about four years old."

After the walkthrough, take a few close-up photos of the most valuable items. Get the brand name, the model, and the serial number label if it has one (usually on the back or the bottom of electronics and appliances).

You don't need a photo of every fork. A photo of the open silverware drawer does the job.

Write down the details that matter

A short written list makes your photos easy to search and easy to share.

For each item worth listing, a few fields are enough:

  1. What it is ("55-inch TV," not just "TV")
  2. Where it is (living room, garage, basement)
  3. Brand and model
  4. Serial number, if it has one
  5. About when you bought it and roughly what you paid
  6. Notes (condition, where the receipt is, anything special)

Don't stress about exact prices or dates. "Bought around 2022, about $600" is far more useful than a blank line.

Group small things together. "Kitchen: 12 dinner plates, 12 bowls, 2 nonstick pans" is plenty. Save line-by-line detail for electronics, appliances, furniture, jewelry, instruments, tools, and anything you'd be upset to lose.

If you've already set up a home inventory for everyday supplies, you can use the same room-by-room locations here. Same rooms, same list, just different things in it.

Keep receipts and records in one place

Receipts, manuals, and appraisals are the proof behind your list, so give them one home.

Paper receipts fade, and email receipts get buried. When you buy something worth listing, snap a photo of the receipt and save it in one folder on your phone or computer, named by room or by item. Do the same for warranty cards and manuals.

For jewelry, art, collectibles, or anything with a professional appraisal, keep a copy of the appraisal with your list. Some valuable items may need to be listed separately with your insurer. Your agent can tell you whether that applies to you.

Store a copy outside your home

An inventory that burns with the house won't help anyone, so keep at least one copy somewhere else.

A few simple options:

  • A cloud folder or app you can reach from any phone
  • An emailed copy sent to yourself
  • A printed copy with a trusted family member or friend who lives elsewhere

The NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) gives the same advice: make a list of your belongings before a disaster, and keep a backup away from home.

If more than one adult lives in your home, make sure each of them knows where the copy is. The person who made the list might not be the one who needs it.

Update it once or twice a year

A home inventory only stays useful if new things get added, and that takes about 10 minutes.

The easiest habit: whenever you buy something worth listing, add it the day it comes home, along with a photo of the receipt. Big purchases are easy to remember in the moment and easy to forget a year later.

Then pick one or two times a year to do a quick walkthrough. Good moments to tie it to:

Take things you've sold or given away off the list while you're at it. A short, current list is better than a long, outdated one.

Doing it with Domesio

If you'd rather not juggle spreadsheets and photo folders, Domesio can hold your home inventory in one place. Set up a location for each room, add the items you want to track, and use a custom list with your own fields, like Serial number, Purchase date, or Receipt location, for your valuables. Notes and dates are built in.

Everyone in your household can see the same list, so the person who needs it later knows where it is. And on the website you can export your lists and inventories to a CSV file, so you can keep a copy somewhere outside your home.

Either way, an afternoon of filming and writing now means you won't have to remember the brand of your TV on the worst day of the year.