Contents Inventory Documentation Guide

• →Personal property valuation — carriers pay what inventories prove. Vague descriptions, missing photos, and absent serial numbers trigger proportional reductions on replacement and cleaning lines.
• →Business contents exposure — commercial losses add office furniture, inventory stock, machinery, and specialty equipment with higher per-item scrutiny and separate desk review tracks.
• →Large financial exposure — contents totals often exceed structural cleaning scope on residential fires; undocumented items disappear from carrier estimates entirely.
• →Carrier scrutiny — contents desk reviewers match inventory lines to photos, receipts, and disposition logic. Generic lump-sum contents macros fail without item-level proof.
• →Supporting replacement decisions — replacement lines require non-salvageable documentation: failed cleaning tests, heat damage photos, manufacturer guidance, and disposal justification.
• →Inventory accuracy — room labels must match across photos, inventory export, carrier sketch, and estimate. Inconsistent naming is the top contents denial trigger.
• →Hidden losses — items in closets, garages, attics, and storage rooms are omitted when walkthroughs skip non-living spaces or pack-out precedes documentation.
• →Complete documentation — indexed contents files support supplements when additional items, specialty cleaning, storage duration, or replacement scope exceeds the carrier estimate.

See Claim Documentation Standards for company-wide photo labeling. Contents scope shares the fire claim file with structure and smoke evidence — separate folders so desk reviewers apply correct logic per line.

• →Room-by-room inventory — walk affected spaces in consistent order using the same naming convention as structural and smoke documentation.
• →Area numbering — assign room numbers or zone codes that match sketch, photos, and estimate; reconcile to carrier sketch before submission.
• →Photograph before handling — capture wide room context and item close-ups before any wipe-down, movement, or pack-out.
• →Video walkthroughs — narrate room labels and visible damage on large losses; index video file in room inventory with timestamp references.
• →Labeling systems — apply physical tags or barcode labels linking items to inventory rows; maintain tag-to-photo cross-reference.
• →Unique item identifiers — assign sequential IDs per item or group in inventory software; never reuse IDs across rooms or claim phases.
• →Inventory software — export formats compatible with carrier portals; maintain backup paper logs when connectivity is limited on site.
• →Chain of custody — log who handled items, pack-out batch numbers, transport dates, and storage locations from first movement through processing.

See Contents Documentation Procedure for pack-out execution detail. Inventories created after pack-out without in-place item photos are the leading contents denial trigger on fire claims.

• →Furniture — photograph upholstery staining, heat damage, and frame condition; note material type, dimensions, and pre-loss condition.
• →Appliances — capture nameplate with manufacturer, model, serial number; document heat, smoke, and water exposure separately.
• →Electronics — photograph exterior contamination, model labels, and connection ports; note age and functional status before testing.
• →Clothing and textiles — document soot coating, odor penetration, and quantity by category; separate everyday apparel from designer or specialty garments.
• →Artwork and collectibles — wide and detail photos; attach appraisals or provenance when available; flag for specialty evaluation before cleaning decisions.
• →Business equipment — document office furniture, computers, printers, and point-of-sale systems with serial numbers and workstation location.
• →Office furniture — cubicle systems, filing cabinets, and conference furniture indexed by department or floor zone on commercial losses.
• →Stock and inventory — shelf photos, SKU lists, and quantity counts for retail or warehouse contents; tie to business interruption documentation when applicable.
• →Machinery and specialty equipment — nameplate photos, operational context, and contamination notes; separate from general household contents tracks.
• →Personal valuables — jewelry, watches, firearms, and heirlooms with individual photos and ownership documentation when policy limits apply.
• →Manufacturer, model, and serial numbers — required on electronics, appliances, and equipment; approximate age and purchase records when available.
• →Condition and quantity — pre-loss condition separate from damage assessment; quantity verified by count, not estimate assumption.
• →Ownership documentation — receipts, appraisals, credit card statements, or policyholder affidavits for high-value replacement lines.

See Photo Documentation Field Procedure for capture standards. Every replacement line needs item photos and disposition rationale — not inventory description alone.

• →Heat damage — photograph char, melt, or warping on plastics, electronics housings, and furnishings; heat damage typically supports replacement over cleaning.
• →Smoke contamination — document residue type, coverage percentage, and porous material exposure on upholstery, mattresses, and soft goods.
• →Soot contamination — close photos showing soot depth on surfaces; note smear behavior on textiles and whether HEPA vacuuming alone is insufficient.
• →Odor penetration — record odor assessment on porous items before ozone or hydroxyl treatment; failed deodorization supports replacement lines.
• →Water damage — document suppression water exposure on contents already affected by smoke; combined damage often supports replacement.
• →Salvageability — mark clean on-site, clean off-site, store, replace, or dispose with supporting photos per disposition.
• →Manufacturer recommendations — attach product bulletins prohibiting restoration on specific items after smoke or heat exposure.
• →Specialty evaluations — obtain textile, electronics, art, or document recovery assessments before replacement lines on high-value items.
• →Electronics testing — document power-on test results, corrosion, or specialist evaluation reports supporting clean versus replace.
• →Textile evaluations — dry cleaner or textile restoration vendor assessments with before photos and failed cleaning documentation.

Document evidence supporting cleaning or replacement — not the cleaning procedure itself. Carriers apply clean-only macros when disposition lacks photos and test results.

• →Inventory labor — document hours for room walkthrough, item tagging, data entry, and photo capture; tie to room count and item volume.
• →Pack-out — log rooms packed, crew size, pad protection, and inventory batch references supporting manipulation lines.
• →Storage — document vault, pod, or warehouse usage with start date, unit count, and contents batch cross-reference.
• →Cleaning — separate general contents, ultrasonic, textile, electronics, and document recovery tracks with method notes per inventory group.
• →Electronics restoration — item photos, evaluation reports, and processing invoices tied to inventory line references.
• →Textile restoration — quantity by category, cleaning method, and vendor invoices aligned to inventory rows.
• →Specialty cleaning — art, antiques, musical instruments, and firearms with specialist reports and before-and-after photos.
• →Disposal — photos and narrative for non-salvageable items before disposal; disposal tickets attached when replacement is claimed.
• →Replacement — inventory lines with replacement cost support, age, condition, and ownership documentation for high-value items.
• →Repackaging — document return-to-site handling, pad protection, and reset placement with inventory cross-reference.
• →Transportation — log transport dates, destinations, and batch references between site, storage, and processing facilities.

Align room names across inventory, photos, carrier sketch, and estimate. Cross-reference each contents line to inventory pages or photo folders before submission.

• →Additional discovered contents — closets, garages, attics, and storage rooms omitted from carrier estimate with room-located inventory and photos.
• →Hidden contamination — items with odor or soot damage not visible on initial walkthrough; document upon unpacking or specialty evaluation.
• →Specialty cleaning — ultrasonic, textile, electronics, and document recovery tracks omitted from carrier estimate with item photos and vendor reports.
• →Additional storage — extended storage duration when processing delays or carrier approval lag extends vault or pod usage.
• →Electronics testing — specialist evaluation fees and replacement lines when testing confirms non-restorable equipment.
• →Fine art and antiques — appraisal-supported replacement or specialty restoration lines with provenance and condition documentation.
• →Commercial contents — business equipment, stock, and tenant personal property indexed by unit or department omitted from carrier scope.
• →Specialty equipment — machinery, medical equipment, or restaurant fixtures requiring vendor evaluation and non-standard line items.
• →High-value property — items above carrier per-item thresholds requiring receipts, appraisals, or scheduled personal property documentation.

See Fire Damage Supplement Playbook for submission workflow. Phased contents supplements with contemporaneous inventory updates outperform end-of-job lump additions.

• →Missing photographs — inventory rows without item photos; high-value items described but not visually documented.
• →Poor room labeling — inventory room names that do not match carrier sketch, photos, or estimate room labels.
• →Missing serial numbers — electronics and appliances without nameplate photos; carriers substitute lower replacement values.
• →Missing ownership documentation — replacement lines on high-value items without receipts, appraisals, or policyholder support.
• →Incomplete inventories — closets, garages, attics, and storage areas skipped; discovered items appear as late supplements without intake proof.
• →Missing condition notes — pre-loss condition omitted; carriers assume average wear and reduce replacement calculations.
• →Missing replacement justification — dispose or replace lines without failed cleaning photos, heat damage proof, or manufacturer guidance.
• →Inadequate supporting evidence — pack-out and storage lines without inventory pages, custody logs, or batch cross-references attached.

Audit contents files before carrier submission. Dense inventory spreadsheets without photo indexes look complete but fail contents desk review.

• →Initial walkthrough — all affected rooms, closets, garages, and storage areas identified and added to room index.
• →Photography — high-value and questionable items photographed in place; wide room context captured before pack-out.
• →Video — narrated walkthrough indexed on large losses before production changes the scene.
• →Room inventory — room-located inventory complete with sketch-matching names, quantities, and condition notes.
• →Labeling — item tags or IDs assigned and cross-referenced to photos and inventory export.
• →Documentation — serial numbers, ownership records, and damage assessment notes captured on applicable items.
• →Estimate review — each contents manipulation, cleaning, storage, disposal, and replacement line cross-referenced to inventory.
• →Supporting documentation — specialty evaluations, test results, and manufacturer guidance indexed to line items.
• →Supplement preparation — gap narrative, attachment index, and cover letter mapping inventory to unpaid lines.
• →Final quality review — documentation lead confirms quality gates before invoice or supplement submission.

See Contents Documentation Procedure for field execution detail. Run this checklist at intake, pre-pack-out, pre-submission, and before supplement resubmission.