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How Detailed Does a Household Inventory Need to Be?

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Whether you’re moving in your neighborhood or across the country, you want to be sure that all of the possessions you packed up actually arrive at your new address. That’s one of the purposes of the household inventory. Household inventories are also useful for your moving company: they’re used to determine the size and number of moving trucks you’ll need, as well as the equipment and supplies necessary to move your household efficiently.

We prepare a household inventory as part of our pre-move process, but some homeowners prefer to do this task on their own. If that’s the case, here’s what you need to know to complete a household inventory:

You May Already Have Much of This Information Available to You

If you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, you may have already completed a household inventory. Get a copy of this from your insurance agent, and review it: if it’s been a number of years since you completed your household inventory, you may need to update it to reflect what you currently own.

Use Tech to Make the Process Simple

Use your smartphone to take pictures or video of your household possessions. Work room by room, documenting what you own and its condition. As an added bonus, these images can be useful when setting up your new place, particularly if you have a family member who enjoys a predictable routine and insists on having everything just so.

Use Downloadable Household Inventory Forms

There are many household inventory forms available online. You can print these out and use them to begin your hard-copy household inventory. Be aware that these forms tend to be very generic, so you will need to add items that are unique to your household, such as musical instruments and artwork.

Do Your Household Inventory After You Downsize!

Bear in mind that the purpose of your household inventory is to document what you own, and ensure that those items make it safely from one residence to the next. For this reason, your household inventory should be done after you downsize. This prevents you from searching for items that you sold, gave away, or donated prior to your move.