Why do you need to have an updated inventory of your belongings?
Do you have a comprehensive and accurate record of your personal property?
This is an important question that you need to ask yourself.
There are two important reasons for this.
First, you need to be sure that your homeowners insurance or renters insurance reflects the true value of your possessions, including valuables, collections and expensive electronic gear. It’s very easy for your insurance coverage to get out of line with the real value of the things you own and use.
Second, if you ever need to make a claim on your Homeowners Insurance or Renters Insurance policy, the more information you have on those possessions, including serial numbers and receipts, the smoother the claims process will go. That will also ensure that you don’t overlook things in your claim, which is easy enough to do, believe me.
These days, it’s easier than ever to record all those details but it can be a bit daunting starting out if you’ve never done it before.
The quickest and easiest step you can do is to make a photo or video record. With digital cameras, it costs next to nothing to go around your home taking lots of photos which can act as a memory prompt and proof of ownership.
You can take close-ups of small items like nooks, CDs and DVDs, serial number stickers, collectibles and so on, as well as general shots of entire rooms. However, make sure you back up the memory card or disk and store at least one copy away from your home — it would be useless if it was stolen or destroyed in a fire.
Add to this record as you acquire new property, always making a note of serial numbers and costs or valuations.
Keeping receipts and other records is also much easier than it used to be. Yes, you can store them in a file, but that’s no good if you have a fire. Better to scan them in and store them digitally, again keeping a copy off-site.
Scanners are cheap and easy to use, or you can use your camera, smartphone or tablet to photograph receipts.
If you need more help and you’re tech-savvy, you can also download free or cheap inventory apps for iPhone, Androids and other systems. The Insurance Information Institute has a good one that you’ll find at: https://www.iii.org/apps-and-software.html
The final important part of this process is to check with us to ensure you’re properly protected against loss. It’s not just the value that’s important but also the coverage options — for example current value or replacement value?
Certain high-value items may not be fully covered without an additional endorsement; it’s important to identify these.
Let’s get this done as soon as possible. Having a record of what you have is extremely important. You may be surprised when you go through this process and realize that the value of your belongings is way more that you thought.
Huff Insurance is a full service Independent Insurance Agent We have been dedicated to Protecting Lifestyles™ since 1960. We offer a full array of Personal Insurance, Commercial Insurance and Life Insurance & Health Insurance products. Call us at 410-647-111
