Updated · Written by Five Star Claims Adjusting’s licensed public adjusters
After a house fire, your insurer will ask you for a list of every item you lost or that was damaged: what it was, how old it was, and what it costs to replace. This contents inventory (sometimes called a personal property inventory or schedule of loss) is how the personal property part of your claim gets paid. In a total loss it can run to hundreds or thousands of lines, and every item you forget is money you won't recover.
What to include for each item
- Room where the item was.
- Description — what it is, with brand and model where you know them.
- Quantity.
- Age or the date you bought it.
- Where you bought it.
- What you paid, if you know it.
- What it costs to replace today with the same kind and quality — include a link or screenshot.
- Condition before the fire, and whether it was destroyed or damaged by smoke, heat or water.
Our free template has these columns ready to fill in. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. If your insurer gives you its own form, use it, but you can still build your list in the template and copy it across.
Step-by-step: building the list
1. Work room by room, then shelf by shelf
Walk the house in your head, or in photos, one room at a time. In each room go clockwise: walls, furniture, inside each drawer and cupboard, under the bed, on the shelves. Don't forget closets, the garage, the attic, the patio and the car port.
2. Use everything that jogs your memory
- Photos and videos on your phone, social media and cloud backups — the background of a birthday photo shows a whole room.
- Online order histories (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot and others) and email receipts.
- Bank and credit card statements.
- Warranty registrations, appliance manuals and the boxes in the garage.
- Family members — each person remembers different things.
3. Don't skip the small things
Clothing, shoes, linens, towels, toiletries, cleaning supplies, pantry food, spices, kitchen utensils, toys, books, tools and holiday decorations add up quickly. They are the categories people leave off most often.
4. Price items at today's replacement cost
Find a current price for a like-kind-and-quality replacement and record it, with a link or screenshot. If your contents are covered at replacement cost, the insurer may pay the depreciated (actual cash value) amount first and the rest once you replace the item, so keep the receipts for everything you buy.
5. Include smoke-damaged items, not just burned ones
Smoke and soot damage clothing, electronics, soft furnishings and anything porous, even in rooms the fire never reached. Water from firefighting does too. Items that cannot be cleaned to their pre-loss condition belong on the list.
6. Photograph before anything is thrown away
Once the property is safe to enter, photograph damaged items before they are removed, and keep high-value items until the insurer has had a chance to see them or agrees they can go.
Don't forget the rest of the claim
The contents inventory is only one part. Keep receipts for additional living expenses — hotel or rental costs, extra mileage, laundry and meals above your normal spending — from the first night. Those are claimed separately under loss of use.
Take your time, but watch the deadlines
An accurate inventory takes weeks, not days. If your insurer has set a deadline that you can't meet, ask in writing for more time and keep the reply. A public adjuster can build and price the inventory with you and make sure it is complete before it goes to the insurer.
Five Star Claims Adjusting's licensed public adjusters review claims at no upfront cost, and we are paid a percentage of the settlement only if we recover money for you. If your claim has been underpaid, delayed or denied, ask us for a free claim review.