As a homeowner, it is normal to invest large amounts of your income into your home and property. After all, it is one of your largest and most important investments. Damages to your home and your investments can happen no matter what preventative measures you may take. Your home and property can experience a myriad of damages. Water damage, fire damage, storm damage, and theft can cause thousands of dollars in damage. Therefore, it is important to know what documentation and steps to take when you are affected by these damages. By including the appropriate documentation, you’ll get your full compensation in record time from your claim.
Why Documentation is Important
When people experience severe property damage, it comes with a lot of added stress. Having to move out of your home, deal with insurance companies, and trying to keep your life in balance all takes a toll. These stressful situations can get in the way of documenting and listing the damages and losses from the event.
Often these stressful distractions take away focus and people forget to list important items and damages as part of their claim. If you don’t list and value it properly, you simply cannot and will not be fully reimbursed for it. Furthermore, this is where the importance of firsthand documentation and inventory comes in.
Documentations of Significance
- Receipts: Have you made any repairs to your home? Were you forced to stay at a hotel for a few days? Document and keep every proof of purchase and receipt involved with purchases and necessities that are results of damages. Make sure you’re keeping all receipts and documentation in a safe folder or spreadsheet so you do not lose any. Depending on your policy, it is impossible to tell what’s covered without reading it. Therefore, it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to filing a claim. There is no such thing as keeping too many receipts or information in regards to a claim.
- Photos: As soon as you establish the insurance policy, take pictures of everything. Your insurance company may try to argue that the damages aren’t as severe as you state they are when you file a claim. Having photographs of your property and home BEFORE a disaster happens is vital. When you make new purchases, catalog those as well. In the event something inside your home is damaged, these pictures will be game-changing. With them, you’ll find processing a claim is much more straightforward.
- Home Inventory: In addition to photos, write down a list of everything you own. That way, you have a written statement of your belongings to compliment the photos. By using meticulous written documentation, the visual catalog weaves a compelling narrative. Notating when it was bought, where it was bought, and any other identifying factors are going to be the most helpful when filing a claim. Taking videos of the inside of your home as well as your valuables is also beneficial. Read more about creating a home inventory here.
Very informative article thanks for sharing with us.
I appreciate you sharing this. I will definitely make sure we have those documents safe.
So good to know, everyone should keep this in mind! You never know when you’re gonna need them!
Thank you for this post. I never throw out receipts and keep them properly labeled and dated. Better to have your proof of purchase intact always, you’ll never know when you would need them.
Taking photos BEFORE disaster is so important and something all home owners should know! Living in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey was such a stressful time as soo many people had an insane amount of damage on their home and contacting insurance at the same time as thousands of other people was a nightmare.
Yes, I agree with all of these.
Proper documentation is so important when applying or claiming from your insurance company. Kudos for sharing this information with us, thank you!
You make some good points! Helpful for those who need it!
Indeed a good read. It’s really important to have proper documentation. This is really helpful especially for those who will file insurance claims.
This serves as an important reminder for everyone. It is easy to lose track of documentation surrounding insurance and potential claims. We need to have these items stored in a safe place, ready when we need them.
This is really great information to have! Such a useful blog post that I think everyone should read.
I only know it is important to have insurance, but have not gone through the detail process of filing a claim yet. I will keep the documentation and photos organized in case anything comes up.
Documentation is the key! It’s important that we are organized and we document everything. It will help in your insurance claim.