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Home Inventory for Insurance
A home inventory for insurance from Williams & Yates is an in-person visit to your property, during which we photograph, describe and record your contents item by item, prepared to insurance standard. Nothing is moved. You’re left with a clear, organised record to share with your broker or insurer, typically ahead of a renewal or a review of your cover.
You can commission it on its own, with no move planned. Principals book it for their own homes, as do the PAs and household managers who look after a home’s possessions and paperwork on their behalf.
Scheduled items are possessions listed individually on a home insurance policy, usually because each is worth more than the insurer’s single-item limit, so each carries its own description and value. A contents inventory is an itemised record of what a home holds, with descriptions and photographs, showing what you own and where it is.
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What a Home Inventory for Insurance Involves
A home inventory for insurance is a photographic record of the contents of your home, compiled item by item during a visit to the property. Williams & Yates carry out the visit in person and prepare the record to insurance standard, ready to pass to your broker or insurer.
Nothing is moved or removed during the visit. We are there only to document your contents, so your home stays as it is while we work.
We inventory high-value contents on every move we carry out, to the standard our insurers require. Preparing the same record for your home as a standalone service is routine work for us, and each piece receives the same close attention and precise description.
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Why a Documented Inventory Matters for High-Value Cover
When a policy covers fine art, antiques or valued collections, your insurer needs to know what exists, what it looks like and what condition it was in at a given point in time. A documented inventory provides that evidence, both when cover is being set and, should the worst happen, when a claim is made.
Insurers set out their expectations in different ways. Ecclesiastical’s guidance on insurance valuations says a full valuation report should include a detailed description of the item, photographs, provenance where known and its location within the home. A professional inventory provides the descriptions and photographs that sit at the heart of that record.
An accurate record also helps you avoid underinsurance. Many home policies include an average clause, which lets an insurer reduce a claim payout in proportion to any underinsurance, as Howden explains. Insure at 70% of the true value, for example, and a claim may be paid at 70%. Working from an itemised list, rather than an estimate, takes much of the guesswork out of your cover.
An inventory is most useful ahead of a renewal, or when your scheduled items are being reviewed. Your coordinator will advise on timing for a visit.
If you’re a PA or household manager, this task often lands with you. A complete record you can hand straight to a broker takes a point of risk, and a good deal of admin, off your list.
What We Record, and What We Don't
We work through your home item by item. For each entry, the record typically includes:
- Photographs of the piece
- A detailed written description
- Its condition at the time of the visit
- Its room or location within the home
- Provenance details, where you have them to hand
Insurers usually want a value against each scheduled item, and that figure is supplied by you or your valuer. A valuation and an inventory do different jobs. A valuation is a professional opinion of worth, and Williams & Yates work alongside independent valuers who provide a written report and valuation.
If a piece recorded during the visit is later due to travel or go into storage, our in-house crating workshop can build a bespoke crate for it, made to specification.
How the Inventory Visit Works
Once you’ve been in touch, a dedicated coordinator arranges the visit and remains your single point of contact throughout.
- Before the visit, your coordinator talks through the property, the rooms and collections to be covered, and any particular requirements your broker or insurer has mentioned.
- At the property, our team works room by room, photographing and describing each item in turn. Nothing leaves the house.
- After the visit, everything is compiled into a clear, organised record for you and your insurer.
The length of a visit depends on the size of the home and the number of pieces, so your coordinator will advise on timing once they understand the property.
You can commission an inventory whenever your cover calls for it, with no move on the horizon. To discuss your home, send us an enquiry and your coordinator will be in touch.
Who This Service Is For
This service suits principals whose homes hold fine art, antiques, collections or designer furniture, particularly where several pieces sit on a policy as scheduled items. Through our work in fine art and antiques removals, fine art storage and specialist items, our teams are used to recording pieces of real value and fragility.
It’s equally suited to PAs, household managers and family offices accountable for a principal’s possessions and insurance paperwork. You need a reliable, complete record you can hand to a broker or insurer without chasing detail later, and one person who sees it through.
The service is worth arranging ahead of a renewal, after significant acquisitions, or whenever your cover is changing. As a FIDI/FAIM accredited company and a member of the British Association of Removers, we bring the same standards to your home that we apply to every consignment. If you’d like to talk it through, arrange a tailored survey or enquiry.
Arrange A SurveyFAQs
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Do I Need to Be Moving to Book a Home Inventory?
No. A home inventory for insurance is a standalone service from Williams & Yates, so no move needs to be planned and nothing in your home is moved. The visit records your contents, leaving you with a clear record ready for your broker or insurer.
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Who Carries Out a Home Inventory for Insurance?
Williams & Yates carry out home inventories for insurance in person, at your property. We inventory high-value contents on every move to the standard our insurers require, so this is routine work for us. A dedicated coordinator arranges the visit and remains your point of contact.
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How Often Should a Home Inventory Be Updated?
Guidance varies by insurer and by type of item, so there’s no single rule. Chubb suggests high-end jewellery could be revalued annually, while Howden recommends updating valuations for art, jewellery and watches at least every five years. Keep your record and valuations current, particularly after new acquisitions, and your insurer or broker will specify how often.
I have used Williams & Yates for the last 18 months and the service has always been excellent. I felt compelled to leave a review after with the last delivery the extra levels that they went to to get my paintings in Paris at such short notice. Its nice to deal with a business that cares.
Ms Boucher
Book your survey
To book or ask us a question, call us on 0208 081 0188 or get in touch.