When it comes to covering your home and its contents for a flood insurance policy, you just cannot go to an insurance provider and declare your wish. On the contrary the insurance company would like to have a complete and detailed list of all the inventories of your house which you wished to be covered under the policy.



This compilation and study of the inventory of your house would give you a great idea of what all to insure and at the same time it will help you to get the best out of your UK flood insurance policy. This will have other advantages like you can save some money on somebody else compiling the inventory for you and this whole process will speed up your flood insurance claims.

So how is an inventory made? If you buy a new home or has just moved into a new one, it is better if you start to make an inventory right away and not wait until things pile and accumulate through the years. You may find yourself spending more time buried amidst a clutter of things you did not even know you have.

To start the inventory, you need to make a systematic plan where or in what room to start. Make a list of all the rooms in your house. For example you may start in the living room, moving on to the bedrooms, the kitchen, the garage, the attic, the basement, balcony, closets, and all the other rooms. Make a systematic method that is also convenient for you.

From the first room onwards when you start, you should make a list of all the items and a short description for every item. Make sure to include the model, serial number, date of manufacture and also an estimate of the current prices of the item.

This should be easy for you once you get the formula for estimating the value of contents in your property. You can get the original cost of an object based on the present market price. Then estimate its lifespan and how long you have had it, how long you expect to have that item around and you can get an almost accurate estimate to get the right content insurance. You can do this with all the other items in your house.

If your inventory includes valuable products like antiques, artworks and paintings you need to hire the services of an expert. You should convey all the information to your flood insurance provider like the list of items that you have bought or sold to adjust your inventory.

If you update your insurance provider about the inventory you have, it would help you to cover all the contents of the home incase of a disaster. It is also a prime requirement to keep your inventory list and the estimates at a safe place for you to put up your claim. This factor could either speed up or delay your flood insurance claims when you want it.

One final tip - take pictures of everything you own and store them in a safe place. Having pictures will help you prove ownership and also remind you that you possessed the item in the first place! It's easy to sometime forget what you have!