With hurricane season approaching now is the best time to prepare your family and your home. Inspecting your roof and removing debris are tasks that can prevent greater damage to your home. Creating an emergency plan with your family to know where to go in case of a disaster is important. In the event of a disaster an inventory of your home will make filing insurance claims easier and more efficient.
An inventory of your home is a list of all your personal possessions and an estimate of their value. Create your inventory list by writing items down and keeping receipts from when they were purchased. Or you can take a picture of the items, write down the cost and date purchased of each item. Regardless of the method keep a record of your inventory in a safety deposit box or an online storage account if digital. And make sure to update inventory whenever you make major purchases.
Keeping list up-to-date will:
- Help purchase the correct amount of insurance coverage for personal possessions. Knowing the value of your personal possessions can assist an insurance agent in recommending to you the correct coverage amount.
- Simplifies filing a claim with an insurance company. If a disaster does strike, it will be hard to remember what was in your attic or what items you had in your living room.
- Substantiate financial losses when applying for assistance or a tax break. An inventory list of your possessions can be a useful tool to help an agency determine if you need financial assistance.