How to make a contents list after a house fire total loss
How to rebuild a room-by-room contents list after a house fire destroyed your home: what insurers usually ask for, RCV and ACV, and how to stay organized.
Resources
Practical guides on keeping a home insurance claim organized. Each one lists the official sources it was checked against.
Partial fire loss: cleaning or replacing belongings, and what to record
After a partial house fire, some items are replaced and many are cleaned. What to record for each item, room and invoice to keep your claim organized.
Wildfire insurance claim inventory: rebuilding a list of everything you lost
How to rebuild a contents inventory after a wildfire total loss: grouped lines, proof without receipts, and California rules after an emergency.
Smoke damage insurance claim: documenting testing, cleaning and results
Smoke and soot can damage a standing home. What to document for a smoke damage claim: testing, cleaning scope, results after cleaning and invoices.
Hurricane insurance claim checklist: wind, water and deductibles
A practical hurricane claim checklist: wind and water damage area by area, temporary repairs, hurricane deductibles and Florida notice deadlines.
NFIP flood insurance proof of loss: the 60-day rule and what to include
What the NFIP flood policy asks for after a flood: written notice, an inventory, a sworn proof of loss within 60 days, and appeal time limits.
Water damage insurance claim: what to document from the first hour
Burst pipe or appliance leak? What to document for a water damage claim from the first hour: source, timeline, drying invoices, items and mold.
Stolen items list for an insurance claim: proof of ownership and special limits
How to prepare a stolen items list for a home or renters insurance claim: police report, serial numbers, proof of ownership and limits on valuables.
Renters insurance claim without receipts: rebuilding your list
Lost your belongings as a renter, with few receipts? How to rebuild a contents list, what renters policies cover and how to keep landlord records.
Home inventory list for an insurance claim: columns, RCV and ACV explained
What a home inventory list for an insurance claim should contain: the columns insurers ask for, replacement cost, depreciation, actual cash value.
Additional living expenses: examples and how to track them
What additional living expenses (ALE) usually cover when your home is unlivable, common examples, the key test and how to track every receipt.
Home insurance claim letters: what to put in writing and when
Which letters to send during a home insurance claim and when: policy copy, document list, call summaries, extensions, payments and decisions.
Recoverable depreciation explained: actual cash value now, the rest after replacement
How withheld (recoverable) depreciation usually works on a contents claim: ACV first, the balance after you replace items, receipts and deadlines.
Proof of loss after a house fire in Canada: inventory and statutory conditions
What Canadian statutory conditions say about notice, proof of loss and the inventory after a house fire, with BC, Ontario and Alberta rules.
Wildfire insurance claim in Canada: inventory, living expenses and limitation dates
After a wildfire total loss in Canada: rebuilding the inventory, tracking additional living expenses for months and noting limitation dates.
Sewer backup and overland flood claims in Canada: what to document
Water in the basement in Canada? Sewer backup and overland flood are optional coverages. What to check in your policy and what to document for your claim.
Tenant insurance claim after a total loss in Canada
Lost your belongings in a rental in Canada? How to rebuild a contents list without receipts, track living expenses and keep landlord records.