What does an insurance company accept as proof of ownership?

Insurers generally accept photos and video of your belongings, receipts, credit card or bank statements, owner's manuals, warranty documents, and professional appraisals for high-value items. The more of these you can provide, the smoother the claim. Serial numbers and model numbers are especially helpful for electronics and appliances.

How detailed does a home inventory need to be?

It varies by value. For everyday items, a room-by-room video and a general list are usually enough. For expensive or hard-to-replace items — electronics, jewelry, appliances, collectibles — record the make, model, serial number, purchase date, and price, and keep receipts or appraisals.

Where should I store my home inventory?

Store it somewhere a fire, flood, or theft at home can't destroy — a secure cloud service or online home record, plus a backup shared with a trusted person. A paper binder kept in the house isn't enough on its own, since it can be lost in the same event you're documenting against.

How often should I update my home inventory?

Review it at least once a year and after any major purchase, renovation, or move. Tying the update to your annual insurance renewal is a simple way to remember, and it's a good moment to check that your coverage limits still match what you own.

How Do I Document My Home for an Insurance Claim? (A Home Inventory)

If your home is ever damaged by fire, water, theft, or a storm, your insurance company will ask you to prove what you owned and what it was worth. That conversation is much easier when you've already done the work — before anything goes wrong.

A home inventory is simply an organized record of your belongings and the details that establish their value. It doesn't have to be perfect to be useful. Even a rough one puts you far ahead of trying to reconstruct a lifetime of purchases from memory while you're dealing with a loss.

Why a home inventory matters

After a major loss, the burden of proof usually falls on you, not the insurer. Adjusters work from what you can document. Without records, people routinely underclaim — they simply forget items, or can't establish what something cost.

A good inventory does three things:

Speeds up your claim. You hand over a list instead of building one under stress.
Supports the value you're claiming. Photos, receipts, and model numbers back up the numbers.
Helps you buy the right coverage. Once you see the total, you may realize your policy limits are too low — especially for jewelry, electronics, or collectibles that often have separate caps.

What to record for each item

You don't need every detail for every fork. Focus your effort on higher-value and hard-to-replace items. For those, capture:

What it is — a short description (55 LG OLED TV").
Make, model, and serial number where they exist.
Approximate purchase date and price.
Where you bought it, if you remember.
Photos showing the item and, when possible, the serial or model label.
Receipts, manuals, or warranty documents if you have them.

For everyday belongings, room-by-room video and a general list are usually enough.

Room by room is the easiest method

Work through the house one room at a time so nothing gets skipped. Open closets, cabinets, and drawers. Don't forget the garage, attic, basement, and any storage unit. Photograph the contents of each space, then note the standout items individually.

Photos and video: your most valuable proof

A walkthrough video is one of the fastest ways to document a whole home. Move slowly, narrate what you're seeing, and open storage as you go. Pair it with close-up photos of anything valuable, including the label or serial plate.

For major appliances, HVAC equipment, and electronics, a clear photo of the model and serial number is worth keeping. Those same photos are also handy for service and warranty questions — which is exactly the kind of record Jack's View is built to hold.

Keep the record somewhere it will survive

This is the step people miss. A binder in the closet burns with the house. Store your inventory where a disaster at home can't destroy it:

A cloud service or secure online record that's accessible from anywhere.
A copy shared with a trusted family member.
Backups of receipts and appraisals stored digitally, not just on paper.

Keeping your documents, photos, and equipment details in one place tied to your home — rather than scattered across drawers and email — means they're actually there when you need them.

Don't forget appraisals and documents

High-value items like jewelry, art, antiques, and firearms often need a professional appraisal to be fully covered. Keep those appraisal documents with your inventory, and ask your insurer whether these items need to be scheduled separately on your policy.

Also hold on to closing documents, warranty paperwork, and records of major improvements. Renovations and additions change what your home is worth to rebuild.

Keep it current

An inventory is only as good as its last update. Add new purchases as they come in, remove things you've sold or given away, and refresh your walkthrough video once a year. Tying updates to a regular rhythm — say, when you review your policy at renewal — keeps it from going stale.

When to bring in a professional

For most homes, you can build a solid inventory yourself. Consider professional help when:

You have significant collections, art, or antiques that need formal appraisal.
Your home's contents are unusually high in value and your insurer wants documentation.
You've had a loss and need guidance — a public adjuster (independent of your insurer) can help you prepare and present a claim.

When a claim gets complicated, your insurance agent or a licensed adjuster is the right person to walk you through what your specific policy requires.