Household Inventory List Template

by Aslam · February 8, 2023

People lost almost everything in house fires and other types of residential damages. This is very common and the chances of your possessions being destroyed in a house fire are more than you think. When this actually happens and you apply for the insurance claim, the process can talk more than you expect from a few weeks to months because the insurance company wants to make sure the items that you included on the damage list were actually destroyed in the house. In order to make this process quicker and faster, you should produce a household inventory list. On this list, you will include each and every item that you have in your house including expensive items i.e. jewelry, electric appliance, paintings, musical instruments, clothes, decoration pieces, and furniture. This way if there is damage on your property that results in destroying your possessions, you can use this list to provide details of your possessions to your insurance provider.

Key Elements to include in the Household Inventory List:

Name of the person who is creating the inventory list
Complete address of the house for which the inventory list is being prepared
The date on which the person is conducting the inventory
The first column of the inventory list for the serial number of items
The second column of the inventory list for the name of the items
Third column for a full description of each item
Fourth column for the purchase date and receipt or invoice number of each item
Fifth column for the exact location of each item in your house
Units of each item included on the inventory list
Signature of the person who conducted the inventory

Useful tips for creating the Household Inventory List:

Prioritize the important items:
When you walk into a room, do a quick scan and see which items are more important to list on the inventory and which items are not so important. This includes jewelry, electric appliance, paintings, musical instruments and clothes, decoration pieces, and furniture. When you know which items are more important, go through them first and leave the less important items for later.
If possible, add a visual proof:
Although it is not necessary when you want to apply for a damage claim or insurance claim, having physical evidence of your possessions can help you a lot and make the process faster. This is why you should take pictures of your important items i.e. jewelry, electric appliances, paintings, and musical instruments so that you can attach them to the inventory list.
Produce invoice or purchase receipt for the expensive items:
This is very important that you have a separate column on the inventory list where you put the invoice number or reference number of the purchase receipt for each item so that you can prove you bought the items you listed on the inventory list.
Make at least two copies of the inventory list:
When you finish the inventory list, make at least two copies and keep at least one of them outside of the house i.e. at a friend’s house so that if there is a fire in the house, it doesn’t destroy the inventory list too.

Here is a preview of a Free Sample Household Inventory List Template created using MS Word,