Contents Inventory and Storage in Milwaukee, WI

Photographing before anything moves

The photograph is the record of the item's place and condition before the move, so it is taken first.

Each item is photographed where it stands, with the water line visible behind it if possible. The photograph shows the state of the item and the room, and it is the proof of the loss. A photograph taken after the item has been moved does not show where it stood.

The item is then given a number that matches its photograph and its line on the list.

• Photograph each item where it stands
• Show the water line in the photograph where possible
• Assign a number that matches the photograph
• Note the condition of the item
• Take the photographs before any move

Deciding what can be saved

Each item is judged for drying and cleaning, and the decision is written on the list with its reason.

Not every item can be saved. Upholstery and mattresses that have stood in water often cannot be cleaned to a safe standard. Hard furniture can often be cleaned and dried, and papers need careful handling. The crew and the homeowner decide each item together, and the reason goes on the list.

Electronics are not used until their maker or a qualified trade has checked them after exposure to water.

• Upholstery and mattresses that stood in water
• Hard furniture that can be cleaned and dried
• Papers that need careful drying
• Electronics that need a maker or trade check
• The decision and its reason on the list

Storing items so they dry

Stored items are kept off the floor, in a ventilated place and away from the work area.

Items that are stored while the room is dried must stay dry and ventilated. The crew sets them off the floor, on racks or pallets where possible, and keeps them away from the drying equipment and the open cavity.

Each storage area is recorded on the list, so the homeowner can find an item later.

• Keep items off the floor on racks or pallets
• Keep them ventilated and away from the work
• Record the storage area for each item
• Check stored items on each visit
• Do not store wet items with dry ones

Returning the items on a signed list

Items return against the list, and any damage on return is noted at the same time.

On return, each item is checked against the list and the homeowner signs for it. Any damage found on return is noted at the time, with a photograph, so it is not confused with a loss that happened earlier.

The signed list is kept with the claim file. It is the record that shows what was moved, what was returned and what was left.

• Check each item against the list
• The homeowner signs for each return
• Note and photograph any damage on return
• Keep the signed list with the claim file
• Record any item not returned, and why

Documenting the contents before they are returned

Returned items are photographed on return and compared with the original photograph.

Before items are returned to a room, each is photographed against its original photograph, so any change in its condition can be seen. A change is noted on the list and in the claim file. The homeowner can then decide whether to accept the item with the note or to make a claim for it.

The return photographs are kept with the claim file.

Records are kept with each item's photograph and number, so a question about an item can be answered from the file without a second visit.

Items are checked again before they are returned, and the list is the record for the homeowner and the insurer. A missing item is written on the list the day it is noticed, with the place it was last seen, so the search and the claim start from the same facts.

On arrival the crew checks the address, the power and the source against the notes from the call, then starts the readings. A homeowner who has the notes, the photographs and the shut-off location ready shortens the first visit and keeps the scope accurate.

• Photograph each item on return
• Compare with the original photograph
• Note any change on the list
• Keep the return photographs with the claim file
• The homeowner decides on any changed item