Protecting Your Property – Why You Need a Home Inventory

All days start like any other. Hitting snooze on the alarm 2 to 3 times. Dragging yourself out of
bed to hop in the shower. Eat, get dressed and off to work. How the day goes from there can be
anyone’s guess. Most days are normal and mundane but occasionally, life throws you a curve
ball.

That was the case for me on one particular November day. It started like any other. It was a
sunny fall day as winter had not hit yet. I had left for work in the city and my wife and 3 year old
had left our home for a fun day at the zoo. Everything seemed great until I heard my named
called out over the company PA system. I went to my manager’s office to find out what was
going on and was informed that my wife had called. My manager looked at me and said “Your
wife called the office. Your house has been broken into. Your family was not there and they are
fine.” I immediately jumped in the car and made the 35 minute commute home. When I arrived
police were taking statements and assessing what was taken. This is where I learned of the
value of taking a home inventory.

The insurance company asked us to provide a list of everything that was stolen. You think you
know what you have until you are faced with a theft, fire, or some other disaster. Your mind tries
to remember, but let’s face it, many of us have too much stuff to truly remember it all. Luckily,
we had just moved and my wife is very organized person. She had a completed a list of our
household items prior to the moving company coming. From that inventory we were able to
provide our claims adjuster list of items that were stolen and begin the claims process. Had we
not had that list, we would have been hard pressed to remember everything that we had lost.

If you experienced a fire, theft, or hurricane would you know what it would cost to replace your
belongings? Would you even know everything you owned in your home? Creating an inventory
of your personal property from the most expensive electronics to your sock drawer is a great
way to make sure you can replace everything you own if catastrophe strikes.

Armed Forces Insurance is dedicated to helping your family in all situations and offers the
following quick tips to make sure that if you ever have to file a claim for damage or theft of your
personal property, the experience will go much more smoothly for you.

There are multiple ways to create an inventory for your household goods.

1. Create a checklist – List the items individually, the price you paid for them, date of
purchase, and the serial number. Include any receipts as well. You can download a
personal property inventory book here.

2. Take photos – Take pictures of the different rooms in your home. Be sure to include
closets and your drawers.

3. Take a Video – Record a video of each room in your home including closets and
drawers. Feel free to narrate in the video about the room and the items to help your
memory if an event occurs.

Once you have made your inventory store the information in a safe place. There are many
options you can choose to keep this information safe including:

1. Digitize the data and keep a backup copy in a separate location or in the cloud.

2. Email the information to yourself and store it in a separate folder.

3. Use a Safety deposit box or fire resistant safe.

4. Take the information to a family member or friend’s home.

If life does throw you one of those curve balls, it is better to be prepared. Personally, I can tell
you that I am really glad I had that inventory when others decided to help themselves to my
belongings. It made working with the police and insurance department so much easier.

Those are just a few tips from Armed Forces Insurance on how to protect your home and
property against anything life can throw at you. With just a little bit work and planning, you can
make sure you know exactly what you have in case of a loss and aid in getting your property
replaced or repaired.

For a more detailed list of tools and resources on protecting your home for the winter and other
home protection topics, head over to Armed Forces Insurance – Resources and Tools page to
learn how to protect your most valuable possession.

As a military family, you need insurance that matches your needs and protects what you value
most. You deserve an insurance company that is committed to serving you. MilHousing Network
is proud to partner with Armed Forces Insurance to bring military families reliable homeowner’s
insurance options when buying a home. Contact them today at 800-313-1936 or visit
www.afi.org/milhousing to learn how they can support your unique military lifestyle.