The rooms and things people leave off a home inventory

People list the rooms they live in. The living room and the kitchen get done because the TV and the fridge are right there. The list runs out in the places that hold the most stuff for their size: the garage, the attic and the closets. California's Department of Insurance says its own room-by-room booklet misses areas like extra closets, pantries, basements and attics, and tells you to go through each one.

Source: California Department of Insurance, Home Inventory Guide, checked October 11, 2026.

• Extra closets: the hall closet, the coat closet and the space under the stairs.
• Linen closet: bedding, towels and table linens. California's booklet gives them a page of their own.
• Pantry: small appliances on the shelves, such as a stand mixer, a slow cooker or a waffle iron.
• Basement: a second freezer, exercise equipment, storage bins and holiday decorations.
• Attic: luggage, baby gear kept for later and seasonal bins.
• Garage and workshop: saws, drills, a workbench, ladders, the lawn mower, the edger, the blower and the cabinets they sit in.
• Outside: benches and swings, sheds and storage boxes, the patio set, the grill, umbrellas and pool or spa equipment.

Source: California Department of Insurance, Home Inventory Guide, checked October 11, 2026.

• Books and movies: California's booklet lists books by category or series, not title by title.
• Computer extras: second monitors, external drives, speakers, the printer and scanner, and cameras. Most have serial numbers.
• Sports gear: bikes, golf clubs, bowling balls and the bags they live in.
• Jewelry, collectibles, art and antiques: one row each, with a close photo.
• Pet things: crates, beds, a dog house and the litter box.
• Clothes: one row per closet or dresser with a rough count, plus rows of their own for coats, boots and anything that cost a lot.

Source: California Department of Insurance, Home Inventory Guide, checked October 11, 2026.

1. Own row: anything with a serial number

   TVs, laptops, power tools, bikes and appliances. Texas's insurance department asks you to note which things have one.

2. Own row: anything you'd replace by itself

   The good chef's knife, a winter coat, a guitar. If losing just that one thing would bother you, it gets a row.

3. Group row: matching sets

   Dinner plates, bath towels, kitchen utensils. One row, a count and a photo of the stack or the open drawer.

4. Group row: a shelf or a bin

   Paperbacks on one shelf or toys in one bin. Photograph it open and write a rough count.

Source: Texas Department of Insurance, Home inventory activity, checked October 11, 2026.

When every room is done, read down the list with four questions in mind. What lives in the car all year? What's in a shed or a rented storage unit? What have you lent to someone? What did you buy since you started?

Keep asking that last one. California's booklet says to add major purchases, such as TVs and refrigerators, soon after you buy them, and to review the whole list three or four times a year.

Source: California Department of Insurance, Home Inventory Guide, checked October 11, 2026.

• Tip 01

  Do the garage on a dry day

  Open the door for light and room to pull things out. Shoot the walls first, then each shelf.

• Tip 02

  Check the junk drawer

  Old phones, cameras, chargers and earbuds end up in one drawer. Several of them have serial numbers.

• Tip 03

  Count the small stuff

  A row that says how many T-shirts, with a photo of the open drawer, is enough. Save the detail for things worth replacing one at a time.

• Tip 04

  Ask everyone in the house

  Kids and partners know what's in their own rooms and closets better than you do. Hand them the sheet for their room.

• Tip 05

  Look up, then look under

  High shelves and under-bed boxes are where the forgotten things live. Check both in every bedroom.

This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.

• SystemHome inventory: what you own, room by room, with two copies kept outside the houseFilm each room in one afternoon, type the list from the footage one room at a time, keep copies in two places outside the house and check it each season.9 steps · 4 parts · 1 page to printOpen the system

• Chapter 01Home inventory sheetList what you own room by room, with what you paid, serial numbers and which items have a photo. See each room's total and print a one-page sheet.Open the tool
• ProblemNo size printed on my air filter: how to find itThe print on the frame is gone or the slot is empty. Measure the opening, round to the nearest inch, and know when you need a custom size.Read the guide
• Practical noteWhat to change on move-in day: locks, garage opener and codesNew house, old keys. Here's the order to work in on move-in week: count what you got, change the locks, clear the garage opener, reset codes, then cut copies.Read the guide
• Chapter 01All records toolsPrintable home records with a calculator behind each one: appliance and warranty log, HVAC filter sizes and change dates.Open the chapter

• Home Inventory Guide (booklet, Rev. 03/14/19), California Department of Insurance. Checked October 11, 2026.
• Home inventory activity for kids, Texas Department of Insurance. Checked October 11, 2026.

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.