House fire inventory list: how to list everything you lost

What the list is for

After a loss, your insurer will ask for an itemized list of your belongings, often called a home inventory list, a contents list or a schedule of loss. Every line on it is a separate thing they can pay for. Anything not on the list usually isn't paid, even if everyone agrees you owned it.

This guide is written for a house fire, where most of what you owned may be gone or hidden under soot. If you're still in the first few days, start with what to do after a house fire and come back to the list once you're settled somewhere.

Nobody remembers everything they own, so expect this to take more than one sitting. A list you add to over a few weeks is normal, and your adjuster will expect updates.

What is an itemized list for an insurance claim?

Insurers have a few names for the same document: an itemized list, a contents inventory, a loss inventory, or a personal property inventory form. Each means one line for every item you're claiming, with enough detail for the adjuster to price it.

If your insurer sends its own form, ask whether they will also take your list as a spreadsheet. Most will, and a spreadsheet is far easier to sort, total and add to as you remember more.

Go room by room, not from memory

Sit down with a floor plan, even a rough sketch, and walk through each room in your head. Open every cupboard, drawer and closet as you go. Rooms people forget: the garage, the attic, the laundry room, under the beds, and the car if it held belongings.

Photos help more than you'd expect. Scroll back through your phone for pictures taken at home: birthdays, holidays, a new couch. The background of a family photo often shows a TV, a bookshelf or a lamp you had forgotten.

What should a home inventory list include?

For each item, write down:

• What it is, with the brand and model if you know them.
• Which room it was in.
• How many you had.
• Roughly when you bought it. A year is fine.
• What you paid, if you know it.
• What it would cost to buy the same thing new today.

The last one matters because most settlements start from today's price, then take off an amount for age and wear. That reduction is called depreciation.

How much detail does each line need?

More than feels natural. "Couch" gives the adjuster nothing to price, so they will price the cheapest couch they can find. "Three-seat sofa, gray fabric, West Elm, bought 2021, about $1,400" can only be priced one way.

A few habits make every line stronger:

• Write the brand and model whenever you know them, even for small things. A branded blender and a store-brand blender are priced very differently.
• Give sets their real count. Eight dining chairs are eight lines, or one line with a quantity of eight, never just "chairs".
• Note the size or material where it changes the price: a 65-inch TV, a solid wood table, a wool rug.
• Group small things by what they are, not by "miscellaneous". "Kitchen drawer: utensils, 30 pieces" is fine. "Misc. kitchen" is not.

If you're unsure of a detail, write your best guess and say so. An honest "about" is better than a blank, and far better than a guess stated as fact.

Find proof in places you already have

You don't need a receipt for every line, but proof of what you paid and when makes each line harder to dispute. Look in:

• Your email, for order confirmations and e-receipts. Most people have years of these and have never searched them.
• Online shopping accounts, which keep your full order history.
• Bank and credit card statements.
• Warranty registrations, product manuals and the boxes things came in.
• Appraisals for jewelry and art.

Start with the expensive things

List the big items first: furniture, appliances, electronics, jewelry, tools. Then work through the small things, because they add up. A kitchen alone can hold thousands of dollars in pans, dishes and small appliances.

Check your policy for sublimits. Jewelry, cash and collectibles often have their own, lower cap, and it helps to know that before you start.

What about things you can't put a price on?

Heirlooms, handmade pieces, antiques and art don't have a price on a store shelf. For these, the value usually comes from an appraisal, a sale of something similar, or an auction record. If you had anything appraised for insurance before the loss, find that appraisal first.

Sentimental value isn't something a contents policy pays for, which is hard to hear about a grandparent's watch. List the item anyway, with everything you know about it, and let the adjuster see it. Some policies cover valuable items on a separate schedule, so check whether yours was listed there.

Should you use a template or a spreadsheet?

Either works. What matters is one row per item with the same columns every time: room, item, brand and model, quantity, year bought, price paid, today's price, and where the proof is. Ask your adjuster whether they have their own form. Some insurers do, and copying your list into theirs later is slow work.

Keep the list somewhere you can sort and update it. You will add to it as you remember things, and you may be asked for it again months later.

If you want a starting point, our free home inventory template has these columns and one worked example.

Before you throw anything away

Photograph damaged items before you clear them, and ask your adjuster before you throw them out. Some insurers want to see them. Keep a copy of every list you send, and note the date you sent it.

Your policy may also set a deadline for sending your list or a signed proof of loss. Ask your adjuster what yours is, and ask for it in writing.

Is it different after a fire, a theft or a flood?

After a fire, list things that look fine too. Smoke and heat can damage clothes, electronics and furniture in rooms the flames never reached.

After a theft, the police report comes first. Your insurer will usually ask for the report number, and the list you give the police should match the one you give your insurer. Our guide to a burglary claim with no receipts covers the rest.

After a flood, photograph the waterline on walls and furniture before anything is moved. Most homeowners policies exclude flooding from rising water, so check your policy, or your flood policy if you have one.

Where Indemnia helps

Indemnia builds this list with you. It reads the order confirmations in your email, identifies what's in the photos you take of each room, and works out today's price and depreciation for every line. You review each item before anything goes on the report.