Build a Home Inventory for Insurance
A current record of belongings can help you estimate contents coverage and document property after a loss. The goal is useful evidence, not a perfect spreadsheet.
A home inventory helps with both coverage planning and claims
IBC recommends creating and maintaining a list of belongings, keeping bills, receipts, warranties and manuals for valuable items, storing records safely and reviewing the inventory every year and after new purchases.
IBC — Emergency Preparedness & Home Inventory →Start room by room
Wide photos capture furniture and major items; close-ups help with serial numbers and valuables.
Include brand, model, purchase date, estimated replacement cost and receipts when available.
Basements, garages, sheds, closets and hobby equipment can contain substantial value.
A secure online copy or other off-site record is more useful if the home itself is damaged.
Replacement cost matters more than garage-sale value
For coverage planning, the useful question is often what it would cost to replace comparable property today, subject to the policy's valuation wording. That number can be very different from resale value.
Watch for sublimits on valuables
A broad contents limit does not necessarily mean every item has the same maximum coverage. Jewellery, collectibles, fine art or other categories can have sublimits or require an endorsement.
Use the Tenant Contents Estimator as an inventory starting point
The calculator totals user-entered replacement values by category and can be useful for renters or homeowners building a first-pass belongings inventory.
Open Contents Coverage Estimator →