Hurricane Irma: Here's How To Get Paid Quickly For Storm Damage

MIAMI, FL — Hurricane Irma is steamrolling toward southern Florida and experts are urging residents to take stock of their belongings — including every plate, holiday decoration and article of clothing, for starters — for insurance claim purposes.

A home inventory is a comprehensive list of a resident's property, and ideally includes photos or video. Receipts of expensive items including furniture and TVs are also recommended. After a disaster, insurers don't cut a check for the amount of coverage on a homeowners, renters or flood insurance policy. Damaged and destroyed items must be described on the claim.

"You can lose thousands of dollars because you didn't include everything," says public insurance adjuster David Moore, COO of Jansen/Adjusters International. Public insurance adjusters work for consumers and business owners to prepare complex claims and negotiate fair settlements. They collect a fee or a percentage of the settlement as payment. (For more information on Hurricane Irma and other Miami stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"Having that inventory will help alleviate a lot of stress," says Carrie Bonney, a spokesperson for Farmers Insurance.

Watch: Deaths, Destruction Reported As Hurricane Irma Heads Toward Florida

And it will help the claim get processed faster, says Rob Galbraith, director of property underwriting at USAA.

Here's how to create an inventory and what to do if you don't have one after disaster strikes.

TOOLS TO HELP

Technology makes a home inventory easier than ever before. Some insurers offer free home inventory apps that let customers catalog belongings, upload receipts, add item details and create reports. Free and low-cost apps, such as Sortly for iOS and Encircle for Android and iOS, are also available.

United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group, also offers a free home inventory app by Encircle and an inventory spreadsheet.

MAKING A LIST FROM SCRATCH

You can create an inventory on your own. The easiest way is to take a video of everything in your house, room by room, Galbraith says. Here's how:

— Take footage of items on the floors, walls and hanging from the ceiling.

— Include everything in drawers, cupboards and closets. "Don't leave out little things — photos, trophies, knickknacks and books," Moore says. "Don't think that something's too small. If it's in your home, it's got some value."

— Narrate the video to record details, such as when and where you purchased the items, Moore says. That information can help with cost estimates for a claim.

— Capture the make, model and serial numbers of electronic equipment and appliances, Bonney says.

Overachievers can create spreadsheets listing items and brands, original prices, ages and condition. But taking photos or video is a good place to start, especially if the thought of filling out a spreadsheet tempts you to procrastinate.

"Pick an approach that works for your personality type," Galbraith says. A simple video inventory capturing images of all of your stuff is better than nothing.

After cataloging everything, store the digital inventory in the cloud or on an external hard drive in a secure spot away from home, such as a safe deposit box, Bonney says. Some people store important papers and valuables in fireproof safes, but Moore says he's seen too many safes get washed away in hurricanes.

Update the inventory about once a year, and save digital receipts of major purchases, such as a leather sofa or home theater system, as you make them. You don't have to have a receipt to make a claim, but any documentation you provide can speed up the claims process.

MAKING A CLAIM WITHOUT AN INVENTORY

Here's what to do if you have to make an insurance claim without a home inventory:

— Mentally go through each room in the house and think of everything you can.

— Use a list of common household items to spark your memory. The United Policyholders spreadsheet lists hundreds of items room by room.

— Check any photos you still have of the inside of your house, perhaps on social media or on your phone, to jog your memory.

— Ask friends and family to share photos taken in your house.

If you're lucky enough to be spared from disaster, the time to do an inventory is sooner rather than later.

"It is a big job, but it's nothing compared to trying to put it together after everything is all gone," Bonney says.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Barbara Marquand is a writer at NerdWallet.

Related: United Policyholders: How to create a home inventory

Photo credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press