Torrential downpours, a dam bursts, the levies don’t hold, a tree collapses during a storm, a hurricane, a tsunami, an earthquake, a tornado-the house is victimized by natural disaster and your possessions are caught in the fold. Now, the insurance adjuster is on his or her way, provided it is a weekday, and you’ve got mounds of destruction to clear out. They may pay for new carpet, repair to the roof, a new couch, replace your computer, but will they cover all your books, records, stamp collection, and other hard to account for valuables? Probably not.

That could be thousands of dollars you are losing! However, if you have kept detailed records, you can make them pay. It’s not that hard either. Keeping Records To get the restitution you deserve from a home disaster, you have to provide detailed and accurate records. Otherwise, it is too easy for the insurer to say that your claims are frivolous or inaccurate and get out of paying them. With this in mind, there are a number of criteria that you must have on record. You want to keep track of: * Name of item * Who the item was purchased from * Date of purchase * Purchase price * Book value for item (such as for cars, collectibles, antiques) * Condition of item You may also want to keep good digital images of the item on file. This way, you have indisputable evidence. Use a computer database, even an Excel spreadsheet will do, to consolidate all of this information. Keep a digital backup as well as print copies in a safe location. You don’t want your records to be destroyed by the disaster as well! Plan of Attack The first thing to do is remember to log all of the information for any new items that you acquire or purchase. Scan the receipt and keep it with the other information. Have everything on file digitally and in hard copy. As you are essentially dividing the items you must record into two sections-old stuff and new stuff-staying very on top of the new stuff is an easy way to make sure you don’t fall more behind. You might be tempted to rush through the old items because you are terrified that the disaster will strike before you are prepared. There is no need to rush! Unless the dam just broke and you are downstream, as long as you steadily chip away, you will quickly have the data ready to get the most from your home insurance. It will help to prioritize the order in which you go about your work. Start with the most important/expensive items, the move on down the list in order of difficulty to replace, rarity, sentimental value, etc. Go all the way down to your shoes; you can get your home insurance company to pay the $100 they cost. Set a schedule. If it takes 20 minutes to record most of the data and get a digital image on file, at an hour a day, that is 5 items per. If you have 200 to do, you’ll have records ready for your home insurance in about 6 weeks.