How to record a video home inventory: a room-by-room guide

Updated October 30, 2026

If you ever need to make an insurance claim for your belongings, your insurer may ask for a written list of everything you owned^[1]: each item, roughly how old it is, and what it would cost to replace. After a fire or a burglary, that list is very hard to write from memory^[2]. A video walkthrough recorded today is the quickest way to have it ready.

This guide shows how to film one that captures everything, one room at a time. You need a phone and about ten minutes per room.

Why video works

• It's fast. Walking through a room with your phone takes minutes. Photographing and typing up every item takes hours.
• It catches what you'd forget. The camera records every shelf and drawer you open, including things you'd never think to list.
• It shows what you had, and its condition. Footage of an item in your home, recorded before anything happened, helps show that you owned it and what state it was in.

Before you start

1. Charge your phone and free up some space. Video files are large. If your phone records in 4K, switching to 1080p keeps files smaller and still shows plenty of detail.
2. Turn on the lights and open the curtains. Good light makes labels and brand names readable.
3. Plan one video per room. Short videos are easier to record, upload and find later.
4. Gather receipts and appraisals for expensive items. You can film them too.

How to film each room

1. Say the room's name as you start, like "This is the kitchen." A video should carry the date it was recorded^[2], and your phone adds that for you, so there's no need to say it.
2. Start at the doorway with a slow, wide shot of the whole room.
3. Walk slowly around the room in one direction, pausing for a couple of seconds on each item. Slow and steady beats quick and shaky every time.
4. Open every drawer, closet and cabinet. Most of what people forget is out of sight^[2].
5. Get close to brand names, model numbers and serial numbers, especially on electronics and appliances.
6. Talk as you go. Say what each thing is, roughly when you bought it and what you paid: "Samsung 65-inch TV, bought in 2023 for about $900." Saying it now saves trying to remember it later^[3].
7. Look up and down. Light fixtures, ceiling fans, rugs and anything stored under beds count too.

Room-by-room reminders

• Kitchen: small appliances, cookware, knives, dishes and glassware, and what's inside the cabinets.
• Living room: TV and electronics, furniture, rugs, art, lamps and books.
• Bedrooms: furniture, mattresses, and the contents of each closet: clothing, shoes and bags. Film jewelry and watches up close, one piece at a time.
• Bathrooms: towels and linens, electric toothbrushes and hair tools, and what's in the cabinets.
• Home office: computers, monitors, printers, chairs and any equipment you use for work.
• Garage, basement and attic: tools, bikes, sports gear, seasonal decorations and anything in storage boxes. Open a few boxes and say what's in the rest.
• Outdoors: patio furniture, grills, garden tools and anything in a shed.

After you film

• Keep a copy away from home. A video saved only on a phone or computer in the house can be lost along with everything else. Online storage is the simplest option; a safe-deposit box or a relative's house also works^[2][3].
• Turn the video into a list. After a loss, your insurer may ask for an itemized list, not just footage. Writing one up from a video by hand takes a long time, so do it while it's easy, or use a tool that does it for you.
• Keep it current. Record a room again after a big purchase, and walk through the whole home once a year^[4].

How ii360 helps

ii360 turns each room's video into an itemized inventory. Record a walkthrough on your phone, or upload one you've already made, and ii360 lists the items it sees, each with a photo from your video and an estimated replacement cost. Prices and purchase years you say out loud are used as you said them, and the room's name you say as you start becomes the room's name. You can review and edit every item, add anything it missed, and download a PDF report whenever you need one. Your videos and inventory are stored online, away from your home.

The Free plan includes three room videos, with every feature.