Filing an insurance claim: how to prepare your home inventory documentation

Why documentation decides the payout

A home insurance policy only kicks in when you file a claim — and at that point the burden of proof is on you. Your insurer doesn't know what you had at home; it only knows what you show it. After a flood or burglary, most people rebuild the list from memory and name 60–70% of their belongings, remembering the rest only after the case is closed — when it's too late to add.

Flooding is one of the most common home losses, and professional restoration afterwards can easily run into thousands. At that scale, every item you can't document is a real loss out of your own pocket.

The good news: you don't have to create the documentation in a panic after the loss. A few minutes of calm work today — a list of valuable items with photos and purchase details — turns the stressful "what did I actually have" into a ready document you can send.

What your insurer wants to see

The exact documents depend on the type of loss, but almost every claim shares the same core:

• Your details and policy number — the basis for identifying the case.
• The date, nature and circumstances of the event — what happened and when.
• A list of damaged or stolen property — with quantity, value and, where possible, year of purchase.
• Proof of value — receipts, invoices or other confirmations (more on alternatives below).
• Photos — of both the damage itself and the items before the event, if you have them.

On top of that come documents specific to the type of loss:

• Burglary or robbery — a police report plus a list of stolen items with proof of purchase.
• Flooding — a report from the building manager (in a multi-unit building) or confirmation of the cause; notify the affected neighbour promptly so they can pursue their own claim.
• Fire — a fire-brigade report, if they were called.
• Power surge — an electrician's assessment of the effects plus a repair estimate or invoices.

Domowik keeps this inventory on your phone — with photos, value and purchase details — and turns it into a ready PDF report. See it on Google Play →

How to prove ownership without a receipt

The most common worry is: "I no longer have the receipt, so I'll get nothing." That's not true. A receipt is just one type of proof — not the only one. Ownership and value can be substantiated in several ways, and the more of them you gather, the stronger your position:

• A bank statement or card payment confirmation — shows the date and amount of the transaction.
• An email confirmation or order history from an online shop or auction site.
• A photo of the item — ideally in its usual place, which also documents that it was in your home.
• A serial number or nameplate — uniquely identifies the device and often lets the manufacturer verify the warranty.
• A warranty card — contains the model, date and place of purchase.
• A photo of the receipt — a copy on your phone is just as useful as a crumpled original that fades over time anyway.

In other words: even if the original receipt is long gone, a combination of a photo of the item, its serial number and a payment trail can fully substantiate that the device was yours and what it was worth. The key is gathering these elements in advance, for each item — because reconstructing them after a loss is often impossible.

Replacement cost vs actual cash value

At payout time, it matters which value the insurer uses to calculate compensation. The difference can run into thousands.

Replacement cost

Also called replacement cost, this is the amount it would cost today to buy an equivalent of the damaged item — a new device with similar specifications. Home contents insurance at replacement cost lets you restore your property in full: you receive what it actually costs to recreate the pre-loss state.

Actual cash value (ACV)

Actual cash value (ACV) is the replacement cost reduced by real wear. A washing machine bought five years ago will be valued with those five years of use factored in — the payout will be lower and probably won't cover a new one. This policy variant is cheaper, but in a loss you top up the difference yourself.

Underinsurance: the most common reason for a low payout

This is a trap few people think about when signing a policy, yet it really cuts payouts. Underinsurance happens when the declared sum insured is lower than the actual value of your property — because it hasn't been updated in years while prices have risen in the meantime.

The result: in a total loss the insurer pays at most the declared sum, and you cover the difference. Some policies also apply an averaging (proportional) rule — if you insured your property for half its value, the payout for every loss may be reduced proportionally.

Here an inventory with a value summary gives a concrete benefit: you see the total value of your belongings and can compare it with the sum insured in your policy. If the sum is clearly lower, that's a signal to update it before a loss occurs. It's also worth remembering that policies usually have separate limits for cash, jewellery, electronics and items in attached spaces (basement, garage) — categories in your inventory show, in seconds, how much you hold in each of these groups.

How to prepare an inventory report in minutes

You can keep a list of belongings in a notebook or spreadsheet, but at the moment of a loss you need a single, clear document to send your insurer — not a pile of loose photos and notes. A good inventory report contains:

• A list of items with name, category and location.
• The value of each item plus a summary of the total value.
• The date and place of purchase and the serial number.
• Photos and receipts embedded as proof next to each entry.
• Repair and service history — evidence that the item was maintained and still had value.

Domowik pulls all of this into a ready PDF inventory report. Next to each item you get value, dates, serial number, photo and receipt, plus a repair timeline. You create the report straight from your item list, the home screen or settings; the app opens the system print dialog, where you choose "Save as PDF". The result is a single file you can email to your insurer or attach to a claim.

How to build the inventory itself from scratch — what to record for each item and how to photograph gear — we covered step by step in the guide on home inventory.

Have your documentation ready before you need it

Domowik stores photos, value, dates and serial numbers next to every item and turns them into a PDF report — locally, without creating an account.

Get Domowik on Google Play

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Filing a claim step by step

The order of actions after a property loss — using flooding as an example, though the pattern is similar for other events:

1. Stop the source of the loss. Turn off the water, cut the power, limit further damage. Safety first.
2. Notify the building manager. In a multi-unit building, usually within 2 days of the event.
3. Talk to your neighbour if the loss affects more than one unit — it lets them pursue their own claim.
4. Call your insurer as soon as you discover the loss and report it. Most companies prefer a form on their website.
5. Collect the reports — from a police or fire-brigade intervention, from the building manager, an electrician's assessment for a power surge.
6. Draw up a list of losses with quantity, value and year of purchase. This is where a ready inventory report saves the most time.
7. Don't remove damaged items before the inspection. A loss adjuster usually arrives within a few days; until then, leave things as they are and only document with photos.
8. Give access for the inspection and cooperate with the assessment.

Deadlines worth knowing

Deadlines differ between companies, but the orders of magnitude are similar:

• Reporting the loss: usually 3–7 business days from the event. Check the exact deadline in your policy — missing it can reduce the compensation.
• Paying compensation: typically 30 days from the report at major insurers.
• Notice of the amount: the insurer usually informs you of the proposed sum earlier, often within about 7 days.
• Disputed portion: if part of the claim is disputed, resolving it may take an extra ~14 days, while the undisputed part is paid within the standard deadline.

The more complete the documentation that reaches the insurer up front, the fewer follow-up questions — and the closer to the lower end of these deadlines the case closes.

Common mistakes that lower the payout

• Rebuilding the list from memory. Without a prior inventory you miss 30–40% of your items — and that money you won't get back.
• Delaying the report. Exceeding the deadline in your policy can be grounds for reducing the compensation.
• Removing or repairing items before the inspection. It hampers determining the cause and scale of the loss, and without documentation it lowers the payout.
• Missing reports. For theft, fire or flooding, the absence of a police, fire-brigade or building-manager report complicates the whole case.
• A years-old value with no date. The amount alone doesn't let anyone judge the device's value today or calculate wear.
• Underinsurance. A sum insured detached from the real value of your property is one of the most common reasons a payout falls short of expectations.
• A backup only on the destroyed phone. An inventory that burned or was stolen along with everything else won't help. Keep a copy outside the home too.