Start with one room and your phone camera. Photograph everything you can see, add receipts, valuations and certificates to the pieces that matter most, and keep the inventory current as things come and go. A partial inventory you update is worth more than a perfect one you never finish.
Why a contents inventory matters more in a high-value home
Most of us could name the things we love. Listing everything in a room, including what we have forgotten we own, is another matter. After a theft, fire or flood, that job becomes harder at a time when you already have enough to deal with.
In a home with art, antiques, jewellery, watches or wine, the gap between what you remember and what you own tends to be larger. Pieces are acquired over decades, inherited or moved between properties, and their details live in different drawers, inboxes and memories.
An inventory brings those details together before you need them. It also helps you have a better conversation with your broker or insurer about your contents cover.
Start with one room, not the whole house
You do not need to catalogue your home in a day. Choose the room with the most meaningful pieces, often the drawing room, study or principal bedroom, and start there.
Photograph each wall and surface in good natural light. Open wardrobes, cabinets and drawers. Capture the things you barely notice, such as lighting, rugs, books and technology, as well as the obvious valuables.
Then move on to the next room whenever you like. A steady pace is far more sustainable than a single exhausting push.
What to record for each item
For everyday contents, a clear photograph, a short description and an approximate replacement value are usually enough.
For significant pieces, record more: maker or artist, signature, dimensions, materials, framing, serial or reference numbers, condition and provenance. Attach receipts, specialist valuations, certificates of authenticity and warranties alongside the item they belong to.
Replacement value is not the same as what you paid. Prices move, and some pieces are worth reviewing with a specialist valuer from time to time.
If you have more than one home
Contents across a main residence, a country house and a city apartment are easy to lose track of, especially when pieces move between them.
Keep a separate inventory for each property, so it is always clear what is where. Update it when something moves, rather than relying on memory.
Keep it private and keep it current
An inventory of your home is personal information. Keep it somewhere private and encrypted, rather than in a shared folder or an email attachment, and remove location data from photographs where you can.
Then keep it alive. Add new purchases, update values, and remove the things you have sold or passed on. An inventory that grows with your home is far more useful, and far more credible, than one compiled in a hurry after a loss.
How Home by LAYBL makes it quick and easy to capture what you own.
Home by LAYBL is a private home inventory for up to three properties. Photograph a room and LAYBL finds the items it can see, with suggested replacement values for you to review and correct. Add receipts, valuations and the details only you know, and share selected information with the people who need it.
Estimated values are a starting point, not professional valuations. You stay in control of your inventory at every step.