Have you ever been in a terrible situation when your home has been robbed? There is almost no more horrible invasion of your privacy than that, not to mention that things that are important to you may have been taken randomly and without concern for what they might mean to you or your family.

After a robbery, if you are fortunate enough to have insurance for your home and property, you need to deal with the insurance company. Often that can be a trying situation. The first question the insurance company will ask you is, “Do you have an inventory of what exactly was stolen?”

If you have already taken inventory of your property, you are in luck. If not, your claim will be much more complicated to resolve.

Now is the time for you to take a detailed and explicit inventory of all your belongings throughout your home. This is a complex and comprehensive process but well worth your time and effort in the event that something like a robbery or even a natural disaster occurs.

How do you start? You need to decide if you will create a video log alone or also take a written inventory in addition. The ideal process is to do both. You can do them simultaneously with the help of a second person. You will need to walk through every room in your house and record all the items within each. Remember to open closets and drawers and seek out every item that you might claim in an insurance settlement. Where possible, including when it might have been bought and when and as many relevant facts as you can. No detail is too small and every detail is important.
If you have extra valuable items like antiques, paintings, or jewelry, you should consult with your insurance company for additional requirements. Often these valuable items require extra protection.

Another thing to include in your inventory is the value, make, model and serial number where it is available. That also would be something to highlight in a video inventory.

There are people who believe that the value of the contents of their home is not worth enough to bother with the complex process of making a home inventory list. If you have doubts about that, all you need to do is use a calculator as you do your inventory. The total value of the things in your home might surprise you, especially if you are counting on the proceeds of an insurance claim to repurchase some of your stolen property.

Finally, you need to keep your home inventory list and a copy of the video in a secure place. Ideally, that would be a safe deposit box at your bank. If that is not possible, keep it in the home of a close family relative so if you ever need it, you can find it easily.

Plan on doing this TODAY and let’s hope you never need it.