How to Inventory Fire- and Smoke-Damaged Contents

If you're wondering how to inventory fire damaged contents without losing weeks to it, the answer is to treat it as a project with a system rather than a list you write from memory. Goods destroyed by fire or affected by smoke usually need to be itemized for the insurance claim, and a household can easily have thousands of items. A consistent method keeps the list complete, makes it easier for the insurer to review, and saves you from redoing work later.

This guide focuses on the process: setting up the file, working room by room, gathering proof, and pricing. For an overview of how contents claims work, including clean-versus-replace questions and what counts as smoke-damaged property, see our smoke-damaged contents page. That page explains the "what." This one is about the "how." If you haven't reported the loss yet, start with our fire damage insurance claim tips.

How to inventory fire damaged contents: the short version

1. Set up one spreadsheet with consistent columns and a photo naming system.
2. Record the whole house on video before anything is moved.
3. Work room by room, wall by wall, top to bottom, opening every drawer and cabinet.
4. Group identical low-value items; itemize anything with a brand, model, or higher value.
5. Gather proof of ownership from digital records, photos, and product evidence.
6. Price each item at today's cost for like kind and quality, and record the source.
7. Note smoke damage on items that aren't burned.
8. Reconcile your list with any restoration company inventory, then submit in batches.

Before you start: set up the system

An hour of setup saves many hours later. Decide on these things before you list a single item.

Pick one master file

Use one spreadsheet for the whole house. Separate files per room tend to drift apart in format and are hard to combine. Add a tab for each room if that helps, but keep the same columns in every tab.

Ask the insurer's adjuster whether they have a preferred format or template. If they do, use their columns, or map yours to theirs. That saves a conversion step later.

Agree on the columns

Your columns should let someone who has never seen your home understand each line. The table below describes a practical set and why each one matters.

You don't need every field for every item. Record what you can and leave blanks visible rather than guessing.

Set a photo naming convention

Name photos with the Line ID, for example "KIT-014a.jpg" and "KIT-014b.jpg" for two views of the same mixer. Keep all photos in one folder with subfolders by room. When the insurer asks about line KIT-014, you'll find the evidence in seconds.

Decide who does what

If more than one person in the household is helping, split the work by room, not by task. One person completing a room from start to finish produces more consistent entries than several people each doing part of it.

Step 1: Record the whole house before touching anything

If you can safely enter the property, start with a slow video walkthrough of every room. Narrate the room name as you enter. Open closets, cabinets, and drawers on camera. This video is your baseline, and it often jogs memory later when you're working on a room you can no longer access.

Then take still photos of each wall of each room, top to bottom. These wide shots help you place items that you list later.

If fire officials haven't cleared the property for entry, don't go in. Build the list from memory and records first and add photos when access is allowed.

Step 2: Work room by room, wall by wall

Inside each room, pick a starting point, usually the door, and move clockwise. For each wall:

1. Top first: ceiling fixtures, shelves, items on top of furniture, wall art.
2. Middle: furniture and what's on or in it.
3. Bottom: the floor, rugs, items under beds and furniture.
4. Inside: open every drawer, cabinet, and container along that wall.

Finish the room completely before moving on. Mark the room as done in your spreadsheet tab. Then do a final check of the room with the question "What would I need if I moved into an empty version of this room tomorrow?" That usually surfaces small things like light bulbs, hangers, and cleaning supplies.

Rooms and spaces people skip

• Attic and garage storage
• Closets under stairs and linen closets
• Bathroom cabinets and under-sink storage
• Pantry and refrigerator contents
• Children's toy bins and craft supplies
• Holiday decorations in storage
• Items in vehicles parked in an attached garage (vehicles themselves are usually under auto coverage)

Smoke can reach all of these, particularly if the HVAC system ran during or after the fire. Our HVAC smoke damage page explains how that happens.

Step 3: Decide how to group small items

Listing every sock separately isn't practical, but "clothes, $5,000" isn't reviewable either. The goal is lines that someone can check.

A practical rule: group identical items, itemize anything distinct.

• "Men's cotton crew socks, [brand], 14 pairs" is one line.
• "Women's wool coat, [brand], charcoal, size M" is its own line.
• "Paperback books, assorted fiction, 60" can be one line, while a signed first edition gets its own line.
• "Kitchen utensils, stainless, assorted, 22 pieces" can be one line, while a stand mixer gets its own.

Always itemize anything with a brand and model, anything that cost significantly more than similar items, and anything subject to a special limit in your policy, such as jewelry or collectibles.

Step 4: Gather proof of ownership and value

Most people don't have receipts for most of what they own. That's normal, and insurers generally know it. Proof can come from many places, and a few sources can cover hundreds of lines at once.

Digital purchase history

• Online retailer order history. Many accounts go back years and can be downloaded or printed.
• Email search. Search your inbox for "order confirmation," "receipt," "your order," "shipped," and the names of stores you use.
• Credit card and bank statements. Many banks let you download transactions as a spreadsheet, which you can filter by merchant.
• Store loyalty accounts. Some retailers keep purchase records tied to your phone number or membership.

Photos you already have

• Phone photo libraries. Search by date around holidays, birthdays, and moves. Items often appear in the background.
• Social media posts from inside your home.
• Real estate listing photos if you bought or listed the home recently.

Product evidence

• Manuals, warranty cards, and registration emails
• Boxes kept in the garage or attic
• Serial numbers and labels photographed on damaged items
• Appraisals for jewelry, art, and collectibles

In the "Proof of ownership" column, record what you found for each line. When you submit, include an index of supporting documents keyed to Line IDs.

When there's no proof

List the item anyway, describe it as specifically as you can, and mark the proof column "none." A clear description, a sensible age, and a supported replacement price still help. Ask the adjuster what additional information would help for items without documentation.

Step 5: Price each item

Replacement cost is usually based on what a comparable new item of like kind and quality costs today. For each line:

• Search for the same brand and model first.
• If it's discontinued, choose the closest comparable item and note why it's comparable (same size, materials, features, and quality level).
• Record the retailer, product name or link, and date checked.
• Use regular retail prices from mainstream sellers, not clearance or resale listings, unless the item is only available that way.

Then use age and condition to understand what actual cash value might look like. Our contents RCV / ACV calculator lets you enter a replacement cost, age, and useful life to see an illustrative depreciation amount and ACV. It's a helpful way to spot lines where the age you entered doesn't look right.

For example, a homeowner might enter a sofa as eight years old from memory, then find a card statement showing it was bought four years ago. Running both ages through the RCV / ACV calculator shows how much that single correction can change the illustrative figure. The policy's own terms still decide how depreciation is actually applied.

Step 6: Record smoke damage specifically

Fire-damaged contents are often obvious. Smoke-damaged contents are not. For items that aren't burned, note what you observe:

• Visible soot or residue, and where on the item
• Odor, and whether it's in fabric, foam, paper, or inside a housing
• Discoloration or etching on metal, glass, or finishes
• Residue inside electronics and appliances, if visible without disassembly

Photograph residue close up, with good light and from more than one angle. Close-ups often show residue that a wide shot misses. Don't attempt to clean items as part of documenting them; just record their condition.

Step 7: Reconcile with other inventories

If a restoration company packed out your belongings, it likely created its own inventory, often with photos and barcodes. Ask for a copy. Compare it to yours:

• Items on their list and missing from yours
• Items on yours and missing from theirs (possibly discarded before pack-out)
• Differences in descriptions or quantities

If the restoration company recommends cleaning an item and you believe it can't be restored to pre-loss condition, note that in your inventory with the reason. Our smoke-damaged contents page explains how clean-versus-replace discussions usually go.

Step 8: Submit in organized batches

For a large loss, it's often better to submit the inventory in batches, such as room by room, than to wait months for a perfect complete list. Before each submission:

• Sort by Line ID
• Check for blank descriptions and prices
• Include the photo folder and proof index for those lines
• Save a dated copy of exactly what you sent

Keep a note of each submission in your communication log. If the insurer adjusts or questions specific lines, respond by Line ID. If the contents payment later looks low, our page on underpaid smoke damage claims explains what to compare. After the insurer values the list, you can compare its numbers to yours using the contents calculator to understand where differences in age, condition, or pricing come from.

When to get help

A full-house contents inventory can take a long time, particularly on smoke claims where many items look intact. A licensed public adjuster represents the policyholder and can help organize the inventory, gather support, and present it to the insurer. Smoke Damage Public Adjuster is operated by Rise Public Adjusting LLC, TDI License #3356839. We don't pack out, clean, or restore contents. Our fire damage claims page explains the rest of what we document on a fire loss.

Frequently asked questions