Take your camera for a walk around the house
Losing personal items in a home robbery, fire or natural disaster is very upsetting. The heartache of losing items that had monetary and sentimental value to us is hard. But trying to deal with insurance claims can be a hassle at best and a nightmare at worst.
It’s better to protect yourself now and document your possessions rather than trying to do it after something has happened. A home inventory will give you an accurate recording of your assets for insurance purposes. And give you a better idea of how much homeowner’s insurance you need to ensure proper coverage.
When you have an insurance claim, insurance companies will often ask for copies of receipts or pictures of the items lost as proof that you actually had them in the first place.
Taking a photo inventory is an excellent way to show that you had the items and the condition they were in prior to the loss. It can also be a great way to determine if you have adequate insurance coverage.
One of the things you can do – in advance – to make this potential problem much more manageable is to pull out your camera or video camera and start taking pictures of everything you own. This includes furniture, electronics like televisions and stereos, jewelry, clothes, and more.
Photos will not only prove that you owned these items before they were destroyed or stolen, but will also indicate the condition of those items. Your photo inventory, which should be kept up to date, could mean the difference between a claim being honored or rejected.
While you’re at it, also take photos of your important documents, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, insurance records, etc. They should all be kept in a fireproof safe. For your most important documents, such as your will, take a photo of it and then keep it elsewhere, such as a safe deposit box.
Here are some tips to help you take your own photo inventory:
- Use a color camera with a flash, video camera, or a digital camera
- Label the photos and videotapes with the dates taken
- Place a card with the price and purchase date next to the items in the photo
- Save the images to a USB and make a couple of copies, storing one or printed pictures in your safety deposit box or with a relative.
- Focus your flash away from mirrors and other reflective surfaces, including opening glass doors to prevent reflections, and angle the flash to avoid glare when photographing jewelry
- Include a family member in the picture to help substantiate ownership
Open closet doors to show the amount of clothing you own - Take pictures of the insides of drawers with the contents fanned out
- Use a dark cloth as a background for silver, china or jewelry
- When photographing china, take a picture of the pattern name or manufacturer’s signature, along with a picture of the pattern
- Photograph power tools
- If you want to take only a few pictures, either take group pictures of your most valuable un-appraised items, or record whole rooms with your most valuable and theft-prone items prominently displayed
- Don’t forget to include the camera that you have been using as part of your photo inventory
A faster (but not easier) way is to also take video of your belongings, and doing a walk-through of your home. But having photos on hand will be best if you ever have to file an insurance claim.
Have you already started your photo inventory? If so, what tips and tricks would you share? Let me know in the comments section of the blog post.
I APPRECIATE BEING INCLUDED TO HAVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION SENT TO ME.
READING DOESN’T TAKE ANY SPACE OTHER
THAN MY BRAIN. (I’M NOT SURE WHAT THE
AMOUNT OF STORAGE IS ACTUALLY THERE!)
I did not read all of the comments and the comments are not dated, but I would like to say that all of the photographed docs can be stored in the documents file on your computer, this way if the grid is down but you somehow manage to have electricity, these documents can be accessed or retrieved.
Then, after the docs have been stored on your computer, then send an email or two or three depending on how large your files are, to yourself and any other trustworthy individual. By sending an email to yourself, if it is not a fire that has destroyed everything, then you can go to your computer and access the docs, if it is a fire and not a theft, then you can go to someone else’s computer and access the files for the insurance company.
If it is a national disaster and the grid is down, well, the insurance companies won’t be getting around to anybody’s claim anytime soon.
Haven’t read the comments, Too much to do. We’ve always taken pictures of the interior and exterior of our home, including drawers, etc., Today, if you want to take those pictures, you may have a problem, given that we do so with phones and cameras that go straight to our computers and the cloud. So, what happens when the grid goes down, and it probably will. Should that happen, it may take years to get it back. So, have all your pictures printed but that will date them. As for jewelry, we take their images on the copy machine and keep them in special folders that protect the color. No dates. Finally, if the grid goes down, our stuff isn’t going to mean much, is it? Insurance companies are beginning to fold due to Obama Care – so don’t expect much if Terrorists continue their advance on the planet.
A friend sent me this. Smile.
I believe I have figured out how to make my home safer and more secure than a home safety monitoring system. . . . I’ve disconnected my home alarm system and de-registered from the Neighborhood Watch. I’ve got two Pakistani flags raised in the front yard, one at each corner, and the black flag of ISIS in the center. In the back yard there is one from Iran.
To add to the atmosphere I play some Muslim music from time to time. The State Patrol, FBI, CIA, NSA, County Sheriff and the local police, and other agencies are all watching the
house 24/7.
I’ve never felt safer and I’m saving $49.95 a month!!!
Don’t put anything in a bank safety deposit box…when they freeze banks, you ain’t getting your stuff.
I own a company that provides this service for people. I have been a victim on numerous occasions and as an insurance agent for 14 years, I saw there was a need for this to be done. I have owned this company and helped numerous people protect their assets. I have developed a new online inventory program that people can use to take video or pictures plus provide descriptions, serial numbers, and more. I am in final beta testing now and it will be launched by the end of January. I’d love to get this information out to people when it’s done! Nobody has to go through what I went through at claim time. If anybody would like more information, drop me a line and we’ll connect.
Hi Jim,
When and where will your program be available?
I worked in law enforcement for a lot of years educating folks on this. Would love to see what you came up with. Law enforcement circles would be a great place to market it as well
Frank, I had a break in back in 1986 and the thief or thief’s took every thing of value that I did not have with me as we were out of town for the 4th of July weekend and they must have known they had all the time they wanted to steal from us. I learned a lot dealing with the insurance company and one thing I did not know before the break in was that the insurance has limits on your valuables like jewelry and guns, if you don’t have a special rider included with your policy. I lost a total value of over $7000.00 of personal items and the insurance would only cover $5200.00 of my loss so I got to eat about $2000.00 of the loss. The two things that I just could not get over were that I lost my Grand Fathers Shotgun that he left me and it was not valuable to anyone but me and the insurance company paid me $85.00 for it. It even had he SS# carved into the forearm which made the true value next to nothing to anyone and it was only a 16 gauge single shot to boot but I would give $1000.00 to have it back and the other thing was the Police told us that we would probably be calling them back in six months for a second break in and I ask him why he thought that and he said you will have settled with the insurance company in that time frame and you will have replaced your valuables, TV, Stereo Equipment, some of your jewelry etc. and the same thief would come back and steal all your brand new things. I told the Police that was not going to happen a second time and if it did I would get rid of the body or bodies. I had a state of the art security system installed that cost me just over $2600.00 in 1986 dollars. I also set two traps that if the thief found either one would put an end to his or her days as a thief. My wife had a fit and kept after me to get rid of the two things I had ready and waiting for the next thief. She would say things like what if you forget you put those damn things back there and you open one of them by mistake. I told her that would be my last mistake and I would be dead or at the very least missing body parts. After a couple of years I decided it just was not worth her eating on my butt about them and I removed and got rid of them plus the security system must have been enough to keep the thief away and I have had to pay for the security monitoring since 1986 until this day and have no plans to take it out. Just knowing that if I do get broken into again at least the thief would only have less than 8 minutes before the police would have time to respond to the alarm. Love the wireless system that I now have that replaced the hard wired system that they could have cut the wires on if they knew where they were in the house. I do have to spend a lot of time here and there setting the system and resetting the system as I come and go but the piece of mind is a price I am willing to pay. The other thing I have done is a video record I update once a year and a written inventory that I update every time I buy something new that cost more than $25.00. Twice a year I take a new copy to the safe deposit box at my bank and replace the old list with the new one. It is a lot of record keeping but I always know exactly what I have. I keep the list by room and when I update it I print off two copies one I keep in my safe and the other I keep in the Safe Deposit Box at my bank. My insurance is not cheap but I pay for what is known as replacement value for any losses.
I always put my Drivers License ID# & State on my tools & equipment. If stolen, any Trooper or cop can easily run the number to determine it is stolen and best of all return it to me! (might take longer if held as evidence)
The comments are interesting and very accurate, My The article is extremely useful and should be part of a school project for every kid. My experiences started years ago as a police officer. Every housebreaking was a heartbreaker-to see the devastation that thieve did to people’s homes during their pilferage was painful to me. First question after making a n inspection for how did they get in was QWHAT WAS STOLEN. Most could not say for sure other than some large item -like a TV or stereo.
As a homeowner I had the occasion to report several tragedies in my home-a fire for one. It is impossible to remember all the do-dads and trinkets sitting around, paintings hanging on the wall, blankets on the bed. But the painful part comes at determining the value of a bed, or a table, or whatever. Describe it-well, it was wood and….
Start by just roaming around and snapping away. You can get thousands of photos on a single CD or DVD. Most cameras will do videos. Do one room at at a time, one pience of furniture at at a time, especially special, expensive, unusual ones.
Keep documents and records of purchases. if you dont have a scanner just lay the receipt on a table and photograph. Jpegs can be enlarged, enhanced or “repaired” with software.
I have a garage full of tools. I dump my screwdriver drawer on the deck, photo and go to the pliars and special vice grips, etc.
Give a copy of the Cd to someone else to keep.
This same record of items and possessions can be useful in a Will for estate division. Who gets what?
All the video and photographing are great, but make sure you store these things off sight. Our friends had a fire proof safe, which in the fire, fell into the basement, and because the door had plastic components, it popped open and everything melted or burned up anyway. So get a box at the bank or give your kids/friends a copy.
As a photographer who has done many photo inventory collections for clients, this is just a general rule. Start with establishing shots first, as in the outside of your house showing neighbors houses with yours. Next move in closer showing your address, porch or front door, back door, windows to make your case secure. Ask yourself who, what, where, and when. Photograph a newspaper of the day perhaps with your address as proof of location. Then and only then move inside and begin with establishing shots of the interior with a wide angle lens and move into the specifics. If you video, good, as in real good and talk to the camera as you go along or have spouse do that as you go from room to room. Basements and attics, yard equipment etc included. It really doesn’t take as long as you may think. Just do it and make a copy or three for storage is safe places of you choice.
Be wise and be safe but be sure this info doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. You do the logic!
Coates Crewe with 47 years experience.
Oh, man. I’m putting a redo of my photodocumentation on my list now. Thank you! Those are great tips.
Last year, my wife and I experienced a fire in the master bathroom ceiling fan. The fire department put the fire out and placed all the burning debris in the bathtub, after pulling down the ceiling. Five hours later, the fire started up again. This time the smoke went throughout the house because it went into the attic and out the vents throughout the entire house. My wife and I were pissed at the fire department. They should have pulled the debris outside the home and hosed it down instead of allowing the smoldering mass re-catch on fire.
Anyway, we had to remove all our personal belongings to be clean and de-smoked. It was then that I started to take pictures on my belongs. The stuff that was damaged by smoke was replaced by the insurance company. I had an appraiser present and supervising the cataloging of our belongings as they went out of the house to be cleaned. This help us with the insurance company.
When the house was rebuilt and our personal belongs were returned; I took more pictures of the item as they enter my home. As it turns out, some stuff was missing and some other items were damaged by the cleaning company. They paid me for the damage and missing items. But I had a picture of my items so that the cleaning couldn’t claim that I didn’t have that item. Good thing I had taken pictures before the stuff left my house.
So here is what I learned during this mess. Use a digital camera with a SD card. If you haven’t already done so then start with a room to room photo shoot. On a separate piece of paper write down the item and make a note of maker, age, where you got it and for how much you paid for it and if there is any damage to it. When you are done, store the SD card and your inventory notes in a safe deposit box or your personal safe at home. Also, down load this inventory on your computer. Anytime you bring in a new item into the home take a picture of it and mark it down on your inventory sheet and down load it on your computer. Take any and all manuals and receipts and put them in a file. Put that file in a safe place too. Next take a picture of the item being used in your home. If you have a lamp then show that lamp in relationship to other items in that room. Then take a movie of that room. Most cameras allow a short movie with the SD card. Scan everything in your room. I have an antique table with a candlestick telephone and a lamp with a large lace doily underneath it all. If you look at this, you would understand that these three items cost about $1000.00. Since I had the items apprised by a professional appraiser and I have his report; I shouldn’t have any difficulties with my insurance company should I need to place a claim.
The hard part of doing an inventory is if you have a collection of some sort. For example, I have a coin collection. I had to catalog each and every coin and place a value on it. There are some collections that are just as difficult to catalog, but, you must do it.
Once you have your house hold items inventoried; send a copy to your insurance company. Talk to them about replacing these item and get them insured. This is very important, (GET THEM INSURED!) failure on your part, will leave you vulnerable. Why risk the lost when a few pennies a day can save you some major grief. When I had my lost, I was grateful for having the forethought to have my personal items insured. This is all part of being prepared for the unknown. You can have a fire, like I did, or a flood, a storm, like tornado or hurricane, or an earthquake, or a break-in. These scenarios are only a few possibilities that can ruin your day. If prepared properly, you will be back on your feet sooner that you think and you will be happy that you invested in yourself by having place insurance on your items. Be safe, be prepared.
Back in 1968 we had a fire due to gas escaping from the furnace & when the hot water tank kicked on it ignited the gas. The house was only 4 years old at the time. The only place the fire didn’t reach was inside the refrigerator. After that, I have kept important papers in one of the crisper drawers, i.e. Birth Certificates, Warranties, Titles, Deeds, Divorce Papers, Purchase Receipts, etc. It also makes it easier to put my hands on these items at a moments notice. I also have a safe for items that I don’t need to access very often. If a safe is not in your budget, a crisper drawer can fill the bill. FYI, after the fire we had to file a claim with the mortgage holder as we did not have insurance on any of the contents of the house. The mortgage holder covered the structure only. When we filed our income tax, we claimed our losses. The IRS issued us a refund according to our income tax filing and then the following year wanted it back because we did not have proof of ownership of the items that were lost…..duh! They were all burned up in the fire. Needless to say it was a very expensive lesson learned. I have not been without insurance since. Years ago I video taped everything, but over the years everything has been replaced so I will be taking a photo inventory to update my information.
Any tips for non homeowner but renters. Tips for what best renter’s ins. along with any extra Clause as mentioned above? I live in SW Desert at a Lake with lake toys, RV. Boat, trailers, classic muscle car? Insured separately already do I need to add anything else? All tips welcomed just in case. thanks God Bless! Stay Safe!
Look into renters insurance. Make sure that you are covered for any natural or manmade disasters such as floods, fire, and alike. If some was to happen to your personal belongs be sure to have a policy that will put you up while your apartment is being repaired. Nothing worse than losing your stuff and no place to live.
Bundle all your boy/toys together to give yourself a better rate. If done separately the insurance company can charge you a lot more. Some insurance agents get paid by the number of policies they write. So get all your stuff under one policy for your own protection. Shop around for your policy, make sure that you get replacement value for your items. Nothing worst than getting half of what your large screen television set would cost to be replaced.
Proof of pictures, serial numbers, receipts, etc.will also help you if you ever have to try and get stolen items back from the police impound. I work maintenance for my county and know that the county police n not give a stolen item back just brcausrb you say it is yours.
Ray is very correct. I keep receipts on petty items. Often they are taken during thefts. But I have a ton of mailing labels. Stick them on small tools and the back of items. I just peeled the label off a jar of cashews that I was getting ready to throw away. Put it on my lawnmower. If it gets tolenout of my yard if i walk off topgo get the gas can-stolen mower-what does it look like-well, just like everyone in the neighborhood _BUT -it has a Cashwews label on the front. I took a photo and that will go in my TOOLS-Lawnmower file.
Have had to make several claims over the years due to living in hurricane alley. We have replacement with an inflationary clasue built in to our plan. Our insurance company has payed very well over the years. Never had we had to pay out of pocket first show receipts to be reimbursed or pay out of pocket for our deductible. The insurance company after getting the estimate from the adjuster sent us a check for the total damage minus our deductible from the total. I would never not have replacement and the inflationary clause coverage. You are leaving your door wide open for massive uninsured losses. Of course each insurance companies have different rules read the plan clearly and ask those questions before hand. Go tpo your state insurance commisioner and/or file charges for fraud if neccessary.
A photo inventory is great. But it is also a good idea to make an matching inventory log with the make, model and serial number of each electronic, or item that has that information, ie: tools, kitchen utensils, musical instruments etc. Some insurance companies require that information before they will pay for it.
Take it from a person who has been through a fire. Not a bad idea. I just did it. Extra tied bit of info. If you have an item in your home that can be insured by its own policy, insure it separately. The insurance company will not cover it.
Hi
I have around $5000.00 in ira in etrade stock I want to get protected with silver or gold or some other planyou might have if you can dirct me I woud be thankful. Harley Edwards
You also need to be aware of the scam the Insurance companies run. The so called replacement cost coverage that you pay extra for. The insurance companies require you to purchase the replacement items first and then they will reimburse you. Even if you no longer need the item that you owned and insured, such as extra furniture or jewelry you don’t wear. You still owned it and should be payed for it. Who has the money to do that? Any major loss can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
I suggest to change insurance companies. Try AAA or USAA. There are of course others out there, but, it is up to you to do your due diligence when shopping for insurance. You get what you pay for; so know what you want before you pay for it, literally and figuratively.
We have not had to make a claim and concider ourselves lucky in that respect. We have USAA Renters Ins. and have had for 20 plus years. We have moved 11 times in 21 years together. On or off base we always have it. I am a shutterbug and take pictures for every occasion at the house. End result is I have pic’s of all our furnishings and aquired nick nacks from years of being deployed overseas! What isn’t printed up and put in scrap books stays on negitives or sd cards or disks etc and is stored in the safe. Moving so much all the ser.#s of the big items are already logged in a book and kept with the pic’s. My guns and ammo change all the time so I keep a book on those seperate, but I have pictures and sales reciepts and ser.#’s as well. Ammo isn’t cheap so keep track of it! It is worth the extra premium on the ins. payment.