You have a great deal of money invested in your possessions; you’ve carefully selected the things that occupy your home and have taken a great deal of time making your personal living space more comfortable with your possessions. Why not also take the time to develop a home inventory so that should an accident or disaster occur, you will be prepared with documentation that proves your belongings were just as you reported they were. Only you know just how important what you have is, what it’s worth, and how you can better protect your investments. Let’s take a look at how to develop an effective home inventory so that you’ll be ready for any emergency that might arise.
You should group your belongings into categories that make sense to you. You may want to go room by room, by your hobby, or by the use that they have in your home.
The list that you make should include estate pieces of jewellry that you own, any art collections that adorn the walls of your home, and the normal items that you have like stereo equipment and technology that you use daily such as computers, laptops, and iPads.
Find and note any original receipts that you can locate and make copies of them to store in a safe place; you’ll also want to include any appraisals and other documentation that proves the worth of your valuables. It’s a good idea to write down the model and serial numbers of the equipment and appliances that you have on your inventory of household goods.
You should take photos or videos of each room and all of the contents contained therein. You’ll want to write a description of each item, when you bought it, how much you paid, and what you estimate its current value to be. It will be helpful if someone takes the pictures or shoots the video whilst you narrate and write descriptions of the items being described. Make sure that you store all of these pictures or the video in a fire-proof safe or in the safety deposit box at your local bank.
Don’t forget to include your furniture, window treatments, bedding, and other valuables that you have in your home. It’s important to go through each room slowly so you won’t forget anything that might need to be replaced later.
This home inventory can be extremely helpful when you are trying to decide how much household insurance to purchase or if you are making a claim after a disaster has struck your home. You can also visit http://www.santam.co.za to learn more about what your insurance will cover as far as medical liability, trauma treatment, and contents of your freezer after a bad storm.
Taking and recording an inventory of your personal belongings before they are damaged can certainly expedite any claims that you may have and will serve to document the worth that you perceive them to have ahead of time.