Home Inventory for Insurance (Excel)
After a fire, flood or theft, an insurer asks for a list of what was lost, what it cost and proof that you owned it. Few people can write that list from memory on the worst day of the year. This workbook lets you walk through the home room by room once, noting each valuable item with its brand, serial number, purchase date, price and where the bill is kept, and checks whether you have a photo and a receipt for each. Totals by room and category tell you whether your contents cover is in the right range.
Free · no sign-up · opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and WPS Office. Files contain no macros.
Preview
Real view of the file with its sample data (yellow cells are where you type).
| Total value for a claim | 6,06,190 | ||
| Total price paid | 5,47,660 | ||
| Contents sum insured (Settings) | 15,00,000 | ||
| Value ÷ sum insured | 40% | ||
| Items listed | 12 | ||
| Items with photo and receipt | 58% | ||
| Items under warranty | 4 | ||
| Room | Items | Price paid | Value for claim |
| Living room | 3 | 1,67,490 | 1,14,500 |
| Kitchen | 3 | 57,690 | 41,200 |
| Main bedroom | 2 | 1,60,000 | 3,02,000 |
| Second bedroom | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kids' room | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Study | 2 | 1,09,990 | 1,09,990 |
| Balcony / store | 1 | 33,990 | 20,000 |
| Garage / parking | 1 | 18,500 | 18,500 |
What's inside
- Settings: household and address, currency symbol, insurer and contents policy number, and your list of rooms
- Items sheet with 500 rows: room, item, category, brand and model, serial number, purchase date, quantity, price paid, estimated value now, warranty end date, where the receipt is kept, photo taken and receipt kept
- Calculated for every item: total paid, value for a claim, warranty status and age in years, and whether proof is complete
- Summary sheet: items, amount paid and value by room and by category, total value, items under warranty, share of items with full proof, and a chart by room
How to use it
- On the Settings sheet type your address, currency symbol, insurer and policy number, and change the list of rooms to match your home.
- Walk through one room at a time. For each item worth listing, add a row: room, item, category, brand and model, serial number (usually on a sticker at the back or bottom), purchase date and price.
- Take a photo of each item and its serial number sticker, and mark "Photo taken" Yes. Mark "Receipt kept" Yes when you have the bill and note where it is.
- If an item is old, type an estimated value now; otherwise the price paid is used.
- Check the Summary sheet: the total value is a rough guide to the contents sum insured you may want to discuss with your insurer.
- Add new purchases the day you buy them, and save a copy of the file outside the home (cloud storage or with a relative).
Tips
- Jewellery, watches, art and collectibles often have limits in a standard contents policy; list them separately and ask your insurer whether they need to be declared.
- A short video walking through each room, with cupboards opened, is a quick extra record alongside this list.
- Keep the photos and scanned bills in one folder named after the room, and write that folder in "Receipt kept at".
- Warranty dates help even without a claim: the Summary shows how many items are still under warranty before you pay for a repair.
Questions and answers
Which items should I list?
Anything that would be costly or hard to replace: electronics, appliances, furniture, jewellery, watches, bicycles, musical instruments, good clothes and kitchenware sets. Small everyday items can go as one row per group, for example "Books, about 150".
What value should I use?
The price paid is always recorded. Insurers pay either the replacement cost or the depreciated value, depending on the policy, so the "Estimated value now" column is optional; your policy wording decides what a claim pays.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. The file stays on your computer or wherever you save it. Keep a copy outside the home so it survives the event you are insuring against.
Does this replace my insurance documents?
No. It supports a claim; the insurer's policy, the bills and the photos are the evidence.