The season of giving is all about sharing time with family and friends, the light of children’s eyes as they open presents, and festive holiday music playing everywhere. But with all of the gift giving over the holiday season, Aviva Canada is stressing the importance of a home inventory.
A home inventory protects you in the event of theft or major damage to your home’s contents.
But many Canadians think –“it’s okay, I have insurance.” And while the peace of mind that property insurance provides allows us all to sleep at night, most don’t realize what a traumatic experience these events can be.
“Trying to remember all of the items in your home can add to an already stressful event. Having an inventory of items in your home is one of the best ways to prepare yourself,” states Glenn Cooper from Aviva Canada. “Besides helping ensure you have the right amount of insurance, an inventory will help settle your insurance claim faster.”
Sure, but who has time to go through every item in their home? The task need not be onerous and can be as easy as taking a video account of each room in your home. Many insurance broker or insurers also prepare content lists that can act as a helpful starting point.
Whether you conduct a video or written inventory of your home, don’t forget to keep your inventory in a safety deposit box or other safe place away from home. That way you’ll be sure to have something to give your insurance representative if your home is damaged. You should also keep in a safe place a record of legal documents, such as birth certificates and passports, and financial documents, such as bank account and insurance policies on your inventory.
More information is available from your insurance broker.