Home inventory
Sep. 30th, 2012 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorothean posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
unclutterI live in an apartment building in which one of the other units caught fire (grease fire on the stove that went out of control) yesterday evening. No one was hurt and the fire was contained to that unit, but that unit isn't inhabitable now and the rest of us have had a shock.
I have renter's insurance, with my most expensive items (my laptop and upright piano) itemized separately, but I'm now motivated to make sure that it would do what I want it to do if anything happened to my apartment. I'm going to call the insurance agency this week to make sure I understand how the policy works, and I'm going to start working on a home inventory, which seems like something that can be combined well with one cupboard per day.
Here are some home inventory tips I cut out of the AAA magazine:
Some of that is advice for people who have more stuff than I do (guns, boats, ha ha ha), but if my apartment is small and I don't have that many possessions, that means it won't take me as long to make records.
My goal now is to tidy up one area every day, and to photograph it and collect any other records. Since I'll now have in mind "what would I want to replace if this all burned?" (ugh), maybe that will make it easier to declutter, too...
I have renter's insurance, with my most expensive items (my laptop and upright piano) itemized separately, but I'm now motivated to make sure that it would do what I want it to do if anything happened to my apartment. I'm going to call the insurance agency this week to make sure I understand how the policy works, and I'm going to start working on a home inventory, which seems like something that can be combined well with one cupboard per day.
Here are some home inventory tips I cut out of the AAA magazine:
8 Tips to Document Your Stuff
* Use color photos or a video camera if possible (with time stamps) taking both wide-angle and close-up shots, as well as exterior views of your home
* Have a family member in the photos/video to help verify ownership
* Continuously update your inventory when you have new items
* List every item of value in your house, including serial numbers, of all items that have them
* Include receipts, purchase orders, invoices, appraisals, charge account records, registration (i.e. guns, boats), warranties and guarantees, tax records
* Keep records in a safe location outside your home, such as work, a relative's house, or a safe deposit box
* Double-check with your insurance provider whether you have "Replacement Cost Coverage" on your personal contents so you are not limited to the depreciated value of your possessions
Some of that is advice for people who have more stuff than I do (guns, boats, ha ha ha), but if my apartment is small and I don't have that many possessions, that means it won't take me as long to make records.
My goal now is to tidy up one area every day, and to photograph it and collect any other records. Since I'll now have in mind "what would I want to replace if this all burned?" (ugh), maybe that will make it easier to declutter, too...
