Maintaining a detailed inventory of your property’s contents will help you if a disaster strikes. Your inventory will help you prove the value of what you owned, which can speed your claim processing and provide documentation for tax deductions you can claim for your losses. An up-to-date inventory can also help you determine the correct amount of insurance to purchase. 

• You can take photos or videos to help you record your belongings, but be sure to also write down descriptions including year, make and model numbers where appropriate. Consider an appraisal for valuable items to determine their worth.
• Store your inventory somewhere it can be easily accessed after a disaster.
• Keep your policy number, your insurance professional/company phone number, and claim filing instructions in a secure, convenient location.
• Understand what your policy covers.

When it comes time to inventory...

The Oklahoma Insurance Department provides a wealth of resources to ensure you're getting the insurance coverage you need to effectively mitigate disasters. In addition to their recommendation above (to organize your belongings for inventory based on categories such as room, type, age, and price), they also have ideas to record and store your inventory. 

Record

Record information about every item in your house. Make sure your inventory includes celebration purchases like jewelry or art, as well as everyday leisure items like TVs or guitars. Don't forget holiday decorations, sports equipment, tools, etc. If you have items in a storage facility, keep track of those, too. 

• List every item of value in your home. 
• Include the serial numbers of all items that have them.
• Continuously update your Home Inventory as you acquire new items.
• Keep all receipts along with descriptions of the items.
• Keep a detailed record of antiques, jewelry, major appliances and collector's items. 
• Take color photos or video footage of as many items as possible. 

Store

Store your Home Inventory and related documents in a safe, easily accessible place online or on your computer that is regularly backed-up. It may be more convenient for you to store it in a fire-proof box, safety deposit box or secure inventory app. Consider sharing a copy with friends, relatives and your insurance provider.