Home inventory list template: a free spreadsheet you can open in Excel or Google Sheets
Disclosure: Sybrux LLC makes EasyFinder, a home inventory app mentioned near the end. The template is a plain spreadsheet file and works without it.
A home inventory list is a spreadsheet or document that records what you own, where it is, and what it is worth. Insurers and regulators publish checklists and printable forms. This page gives you the same thing as a spreadsheet file you can open in Excel, Google Sheets or any other spreadsheet program, and shows how to fill it in.
Download the template
Download the home inventory template (CSV)
It has one row per item and ten columns: Item, Room, Container or shelf, Quantity, Estimated value (USD), Date bought, Brand and model, Serial number, Photo file or link, and Notes. It comes with three example rows. Delete them before you start.
What each column is for
- Item. Name it the way you would search for it. "Blue drill case" is more useful than "Tool kit 2".
- Room and Container or shelf. These two columns make the list searchable by place. They are the most useful columns for finding things later.
- Quantity. Use this for grouped entries, such as "Winter coats, 4".
- Estimated value. A rough replacement cost. You do not need exact figures for everything.
- Date bought, Brand and model, Serial number. Fill these in for valuable items such as electronics, tools and appliances. You can leave them empty for low-value things.
- Photo file or link. Put the photo's file name or a link to it. Keep the photos in one folder or one cloud album.
- Notes. Anything that helps: what is included, warranty details, where the receipt is.
How to fill it in
- Open the file and delete the three example rows.
- Work one room at a time. Start with the room where you lose the most things.
- Group the cheap things. One row for "Kitchen drawer 1: utensils" is enough. Give valuable things a row each.
- Take photos as you go. Name each photo file to match the item so you can find it again.
- Search it. Use the spreadsheet's find tool to look up three things you added. If you cannot find them quickly, rename them.
- Save a copy somewhere else. Email it to yourself or keep it in a cloud account, so a problem at home does not take the list with it.
- Update it when you buy, sell or move something.
When a spreadsheet is enough, and when an app helps
A spreadsheet is free, easy to back up and works on any computer. The cost is typing: you enter every row by hand, and attaching photos is manual.
An app lets you add an item from a photo and search from your phone. If you want to try one, our list of home inventory apps for Android says what each Google Play page shows. Some apps can import a spreadsheet. Find my stuff offered an import from a file when we first opened it, but we did not test it and do not know the layout it expects, so try five rows first.
EasyFinder is our own home inventory app for Android. It is new and has no ratings yet, so compare it with another app on one room before you commit.
Common questions
What should a home inventory list include? What the item is, where it is, a photo, and for valuable items the model, serial number, date bought and cost.
Is there a free home inventory template? Yes. This one is free, and regulators and insurers such as United Policyholders also publish their own.
How often should I update it? Whenever you buy something expensive, and at least now and then. A list that is out of date misses the things you bought since.