What should I do first after a burglary or fire?

Ensure everyone is safe, call the police for a burglary to get a crime reference number, and do not re-enter after a fire or flood until it is confirmed safe. Prevent further damage where you can, then contact your insurer promptly to open the claim.

Should I throw away damaged items before the insurer sees them?

Usually no. Many insurers want to inspect or verify losses first, so keep damaged items and photograph everything until you are told you can dispose of them. Requirements vary, so confirm with your insurer.

How does a home inventory help my claim?

It reminds you of everything you owned so you do not under-claim, and it provides photos, receipts, serial numbers, and values as proof. Generating the insurance-ready PDF gives the adjuster organised documentation, which typically leads to a faster settlement closer to the true value.

What is the most common contents claim mistake?

Under-claiming because items are forgotten. After a loss, almost no one can list everything from memory, so genuine losses go unclaimed. A prepared, itemised inventory prevents this by letting you work through what you owned room by room.

How-toJune 5, 2026The Organized, Private Life

After a Burglary, Fire or Flood: Turning Your Home Inventory into a Claim

A calm, practical guide to the first steps after a burglary, fire, or flood, and how to turn your home inventory PDF into a strong, well-documented insurance claim.

There is a particular kind of blankness that sets in after a burglary, fire, or flood. You know the room is emptier or ruined, but when it comes to actually listing what was there, the mind refuses to cooperate. This is entirely normal, and it is also the moment an insurance claim quietly goes wrong, because everything you cannot remember is money you will not claim. A home inventory prepared in advance removes that problem: instead of reconstructing your life from memory, you open a document. This guide covers the immediate steps to take after a loss and how to turn that document into a strong claim.

First, the immediate steps

Before any paperwork, deal with safety and the practical priorities. These first actions also protect your claim, because insurers expect you to take reasonable steps and to report promptly.

Make sure everyone is safe and get medical help if anyone is hurt.
For a burglary, call the police and get a crime reference number, which your insurer will ask for.
For fire or flood, do not re-enter until the authorities confirm it is safe, and follow their guidance.
Prevent further damage where you safely can, for example stopping a water source, but do not put yourself at risk.
Contact your insurer as early as possible to open the claim and ask what they need from you.

Do not throw anything away yet

It is tempting to clear out damaged belongings immediately, but many insurers want to inspect or verify losses first. Keep damaged items until you are told you can dispose of them, and photograph everything before it goes. Policy requirements vary, so confirm with your insurer.

Document the loss thoroughly

Your inventory tells you what you owned; now you need to record what happened to it. Photograph and video the affected areas widely before you touch anything, then in detail. Capture the point of entry for a burglary, the extent of fire or smoke damage, and water lines and ruined items for a flood. This new evidence sits alongside your pre-loss inventory and together they tell the full story: here is what I owned, and here is what became of it.

Go room by room, the same way you built the inventory, and mark what is stolen, destroyed, or damaged. Because Home Inventory is organised into rooms and containers, you can move through it systematically and catch the things memory would skip, the contents of a drawer, a box in the loft, the tools in the garage.

Turn your inventory into the claim

This is where the preparation delivers. Generate your insurance-ready PDF report from Home Inventory. It presents your items, descriptions, values, serial numbers, and attached proof in a clear, itemised format that an adjuster can work through directly, and the accompanying CSV export gives them structured data if they prefer to work in a spreadsheet. Instead of a vague verbal account, you are handing over organised documentation, which changes the entire tone of the conversation.

Why documented claims settle better

Adjusters work with evidence. When a loss is supported by dated photos, receipts, serial numbers, and consistent values, there is little left to dispute, and the claim tends to move faster and settle closer to the true value. When it is supported only by memory, the adjuster has to make conservative assumptions, and those assumptions rarely favour you. Your inventory replaces guesswork with proof.

Proving ownership and value

Proof of ownership is the backbone of a contents claim. The strongest evidence links an item to you and establishes what it was worth. Your inventory should already carry much of this, and if you built it properly, it does.

Photos of each item, ideally showing it in your home
Photos of serial numbers, IMEI numbers, and model plates, which also help if stolen goods are recovered
Receipts, order confirmations, and warranty documents attached to each entry
Valuation certificates for jewellery, art, and other high-value pieces
Depreciation-aware value estimates that give a defensible figure for older items

For electronics, serial and IMEI numbers matter twice: they prove the specific item was yours, and they allow recovered goods to be traced back to you. Because Home Inventory lets you attach both the item photo and a close-up of its serial number, that evidence is already in place before you ever need it.

Working with the adjuster

The loss adjuster is not your adversary, but their job is to assess the claim accurately, which means testing it. The way to work with them is to be organised, honest, and consistent. Provide your PDF and CSV early, answer questions plainly, and keep your account matching your documentation. If you do not know something, say so rather than guessing, because inconsistencies are what slow claims down and invite scrutiny.

Keep a simple log of every call and email with your insurer, including dates and names.
Provide the crime reference number for theft and any official reports for fire or flood.
Hand over your inventory PDF and CSV as your primary evidence, not an afterthought.
Be available for inspections and keep damaged items until you are cleared to dispose of them.
Read your settlement offer against your inventory before accepting, so nothing is quietly left out.

Common claim mistakes to avoid

Most contents claims are not undermined by dishonesty but by disorganisation and haste. Knowing the common pitfalls in advance helps you avoid them at the worst possible time.

Under-claiming because you forgot items, the single most common and costly mistake, which a full inventory prevents.
Throwing away damaged goods before the insurer has verified them.
Inflating values or claiming for items you cannot support, which damages your credibility on the whole claim.
Delaying the report, which some policies treat as a breach of their conditions.
Giving inconsistent figures across different conversations, which invites deeper scrutiny.
Having no proof of ownership, so genuine losses get reduced or refused.

Your inventory survives the loss because it lives on your phone

A record kept only in the home can be stolen or destroyed alongside everything else. Home Inventory stores your data on your device by default, so it never leaves your control unless you choose to — either by exporting a report yourself or by turning on the optional backup to your own Google Drive. Export a PDF and CSV to a location outside the home so the inventory is always available when you need it most.

After the claim: rebuild and re-inventory

Once the claim is settled and you begin replacing what was lost, treat it as a fresh start for your inventory rather than a chore. Log new items as they arrive, scan their barcodes, photograph the receipts on the day, and set warranty reminders so you never miss a repair window. You will rebuild your home and your inventory in the same motion, and you will be even better prepared should you ever face another loss.

No one wants to think about a burglary, fire, or flood. But the households that come through them with the least additional stress are almost always the ones who did an unglamorous piece of preparation beforehand: they wrote down what they owned. If you have not yet, the time to do it is now, while everything is still where it should be.

Home Inventory AI

Prepare a claim-ready inventory now with a private, offline app that keeps every photo, receipt, and serial number on your device.

Get it onGoogle Play

For a full walkthrough of building the inventory in the first place, read our complete home inventory guide for insurance and our guide to documenting your home for insurance. Start with the home inventory checklist tool, and see the app at Home Inventory.