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How to Prepare a Personal Property Inventory

Prepare for the unexpected

If your mobile home was damaged by fire, or a burglar made off with your valuables, would you remember the details of your possessions? If asked, could you recall your TV’s screen size and brand name? How about your camera or video camera? Do you remember when and where you bought these items and how much they cost?

If your belongings are stolen or destroyed, your insurance company will ask you to provide a record of them. Without an inventory, important details are sure to escape you. Add the trauma and stress a major loss can cause, and inevitably, you’ll forget items. Save yourself time, money and frustration by planning ahead and completing a personal property inventory.

A complete inventory contains:

• A listing of all your items with pertinent facts and descriptions
• Receipts for your most valuable objects
• A videotape or photographs of your home and contents
• Current appraisals

How an inventory can help you

If a disaster strikes, a personal property inventory will help you:

• Provide your insurance company with a complete list of your household goods and personal belongings so you’re sure to receive compensation for everything your policy covers.

• Promptly file a complete claim that can be settled quickly and accurately.

• Confirm that you have adequate coverage for your belongings.

• Determine which items were stolen and identify recovered property after a burglary.

• Provide a record of serial and model numbers for easy identification of your items.

• Provide a receipt from the original place of purchase.

• Verify any parts of your loss that you may write off on your federal income taxes.

Record your inventory on paper

If you design your own form, include columns for the name and description of each item, the quantity, model and serial number, purchase date, where you bought it, original cost and estimated current value. You may want to add a column to indicate if you have a receipt or photo of the article.

It’s easy to get started

Prepare your inventory by hand or on a computer. Several software packages are available just for this purpose, or design your own form with a spreadsheet program. Keep in mind, a computerized inventory is easy to update and store.

We also have a Personal Property Inventory List you can download and view with Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Click here, or on the button below, to download the inventory. Click here, or on the yellow button below to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't already have it.  After you have downloaded the file, please follow the directions on the Adobe page regarding installation of the Reader.  Once you're done with that, please be sure to come back to get the inventory.

  

Cover one room at a time

One way to complete your inventory is to tackle a different room of your home each week until everything’s listed. Record your high-valued items, such as jewelry, silverware, special collections, antiques, paintings and artwork.

Then list furniture, carpeting, electronics like TVs, stereo equipment and computers. Remember clothing, draperies, wall hangings, rugs, CDs, tapes, pots and pans, linens, tools, lamps and appliances that weren't included in the purchase of your home.

Open drawers, cupboards and closets, and record what’s inside. Open toolboxes, china cabinets and storage bins and include their contents.

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