Tygart Media · Disaster Recovery Guides · Belongings
QUICK ANSWEROriginally published at recovery.tygartmedia.com · Reviewed October 4, 2026
The short answer: work room by room and list everything — description, brand and model where you know it, age, what you paid or what it costs to replace, and condition. Photograph and video everything before anything is moved or discarded. No receipts? Use credit card statements, old photos showing the items in your home, and retailer purchase histories. Specificity is what turns “miscellaneous household goods” into real dollars.
The room-by-room method
- Video walkthrough first. Before touching anything, walk every room slowly with your phone recording, narrating what you see. This is your baseline — do it even before the adjuster arrives if it’s safe to enter.
- Photograph the discards. Everything you throw away gets photographed first — including the ruined, the gross, the obviously-totaled. Salvage triage →
- Build the list room by room. For each item: what it is, brand/model, approximate age, what you paid (or replacement cost today), and condition before the loss. A spreadsheet beats a shoebox of notes.
- Reconstruct what you can’t see. Closets, drawers, the garage, the attic — open everything. People consistently undercount by 30% or more because they forget what’s inside closed storage.
- Submit in organized batches rather than one chaotic dump. Adjusters process clean, detailed lists faster — and “faster” matters when you’re living in a hotel.
No receipts? You still have proof
- Credit and debit card statements — search by retailer name for purchase records.
- Photos of your home — holiday photos, listing photos, social media posts that show your belongings in the background.
- Retailer accounts — Amazon, big-box stores, and many retailers keep years of order history.
- Manuals and warranty registrations you filed for appliances and electronics.
Important Notice
Don’t lowball your own list Exhausted homeowners routinely undervalue or omit items — the junk drawer, the linen closet, the toolbox. Every omitted item is money you don’t get back. Be thorough now; you can always negotiate later, but you can’t add what you never listed.
Disclaimer
Informational only — not legal, financial, or insurance advice.
Contents claim procedures and valuation methods (replacement cost vs. actual cash value) vary by policy. Check your policy’s personal-property terms.
Building the inventory
| Field | Why |
|---|---|
| Description + brand/model | Establishes replacement cost |
| Age and condition | Determines depreciation (ACV) |
| Purchase price / receipt | Proof of value |
| Photo if any exists | Old photos, social media — everything counts |
Room by room, don’t rush. Insurers expect the list to grow — submit it in rounds, not all at once.
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