Free home inventory template for insurance

Nobody makes a home inventory until after a fire or a burglary, when they have to describe a room they can no longer walk into. The blocker is that a spreadsheet cannot hold the photo, and the photo is what the insurer wants.

Use this template free Free, no account, opens in your browser.

Main focusHome inventoryBranchRoom by roomThoughtHigh value itemsBranchWhere the value sitsThoughtWhere the proof lives

Built from the same cards and connections you edit inside HeadTidy.

What’s included

A room by room table with brand, purchase date and value
A high value table with serial numbers and the proof you actually hold
A chart of where the value sits, drawn from the table itself
A proof checklist covering photos, receipts, valuations and off-site backup
A policy card for the number, the claims line, the single item limit and the exclusions

Photographs settle claims, lists do not

An adjuster works from evidence. A photograph of a room taken today, with the receipt beside it, is worth more than a careful description written after the loss. Photograph serial numbers rather than typing them from memory, and record the model as it appears on the label.

Store the proof somewhere the fire cannot reach

An inventory kept only on the machine in the room it describes is not an inventory. Back the photos up off-site, and keep the policy number and claims phone number somewhere reachable from a phone. This is the step people skip and the one that matters most.

Check the single item limit before you need it

Most policies cap what they will pay for any one item unless it has been listed separately. Jewellery, instruments, bicycles, cameras and computers are the usual casualties. The high value table exists so you find out which of yours exceed the cap now rather than during a claim.

Worked example

A flat is burgled and three items are taken. Two are covered without argument because there are photographs, serial numbers and receipts. The third, a guitar worth more than the single item limit, was never listed separately, and the settlement covers a fraction of it. The whole difference was one row.

What this template is not

It is an organising tool, not insurance advice. Cover, limits and evidence requirements differ by policy and insurer, so check your own policy wording and confirm what your insurer expects before relying on this as proof.

How to use this template

Start
Walk each room with a phone, photographing as you go, and fill the room table.
Sort
List anything valuable separately with its serial number and the proof you hold.
Move
Back the photos up off-site and record the policy number and claims line.

Frequently asked questions

What should a home inventory include?

Item, room, brand or model, purchase date and value at minimum. For anything valuable, add the serial number and the evidence you hold, such as a photograph, a receipt or a valuation.

Do I need photos for a home insurance claim?

Requirements vary by insurer, but photographs, receipts and serial numbers make a claim substantially easier to settle. Check your own policy for what it asks you to provide.

How often should I update it?

A quick pass once a year, plus anything expensive on the day you buy it. Adding one row at purchase is far less work than reconstructing a room from memory later.