A Home Contents Inventory for Your Insurer: Step by Step with OWNAMIC

Published by Adrian Vogel · Reading time: approx. 11 minutes · Last updated: October 2026 · Jurisdiction: Germany

Before you start: This guide is not insurance or legal advice. OWNAMIC is not an insurer. What is paid after a loss is set out in your contract and its terms and conditions, the small print. An app does not decide that. Limits and deadlines differ from one policy to the next. So check them in your own policy.

In short:

• You end up with a list showing photo, price new, serial number and receipt.
• You need your policy, your phone and your purchase receipts.
• A weekend to start, then ten minutes per new purchase.
• OWNAMIC does not check your contract and does not guarantee a payout.

Why documenting your home contents matters so much is covered in When the House Burns Down and Nothing Is Documented. That article deals with the burden of proof, meaning that you have to show what you owned. It also covers court rulings and the difference between a photo and a receipt. This one is the practical part. It shows what you click in OWNAMIC, in which order and why.

What your insurer wants to know after a loss

Before you begin, it helps to know what the list is for. Five points shape how you record things.

Insurers pay the replacement value. That means what it costs to buy the item new today. The German Insurance Association (GDV) publishes model conditions for this. Under them, you get the cost of a new item of the same kind and quality. There are exceptions. Art and antiques are replaced at the cost of an equivalent item. Items you can no longer use at home are replaced at the price they would fetch if sold. Some insurers deviate from this. For your inventory this means: record the price new, not the second-hand value.

After a burglary, speed matters. You have to send a list of the stolen items to the insurer and the police without undue delay. It is called the stolen-property list (Stehlgutliste). It describes each item precisely and states its value. This list is a duty under your contract. German lawyers call such a duty an "Obliegenheit". If you send it late, the insurer may pay less, depending on the case. If you only start remembering at that point, you lose time and forget things.

Valuables have their own limits. Jewellery, watches, coins, stamps, cash, art and antiques count as valuables. For them the insurer only pays up to a fixed amount, the limit for valuables. For all valuables together it is often 20% of the sum insured. Some policies set it higher. Outside a certified safe, lower limits per item usually apply. The exact figures are only in your contract.

A sum insured that is too low costs you money even on small claims. This is called underinsurance. If your belongings are worth more than the sum insured, the insurer can cut every claim in proportion. The German consumer advice centres (Verbraucherzentrale) give an example:

• Sum insured €50,000, actual value of the contents €100,000
• Loss €10,000
• Only €5,000 is paid

Many contracts therefore include a waiver of underinsurance. With it, the insurer does not cut your claim for a sum that is too low. Instead it uses a flat rate per square metre, usually €650. Depending on the policy, it is around €600 to €750. The waiver only applies if you stated your living area correctly. If your home is well furnished, the real value can be well above the flat rate.

Bicycles need a frame number. The GDV clause on bicycle theft requires records of the manufacturer, brand and frame number. For a laptop, camera or phone, the serial number helps too. It turns "a laptop" into one specific laptop. The police and the insurer can then identify it.

Preparation: find your policy (10 minutes)

Get your home contents policy and its terms and conditions ready. Note down:

• the sum insured, and whether a waiver of underinsurance applies and for which living area
• the limit for valuables overall and the limits for cash, jewellery and watches outside a certified safe
• whether bicycle cover and cover for natural hazards (heavy rain, flooding) are included; neither is part of basic cover

One step in OWNAMIC is optional. In Settings you can switch on "Record capture location". The photo always stores the time, but the location only with this setting. Both can help show when and where you took a photo. OWNAMIC does not promise that an insurer will accept this information.

Step 1: Set up your home as rooms

Sort your inventory by room. That is how you will look for things later: "What was in the study?"

1. Tap Plus and, under Manual, choose Template.
2. Choose the "Home" template. It sets up your home, for example "My Home". It adds a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, garage and garden.
3. Add what is missing: hallway, study, children's room, cellar and attic. Cellars and storage rooms often hold more value than you would think. Think of tools, sports equipment, supplies and bicycles.

Upload your policy at the same time:

1. Open "My Home".
2. Choose Upload File and upload the PDF of your policy.
3. OWNY reads the file and suggests a type. If it is wrong, use Change type to set it to Insurance Policy.

This also unlocks the "My Policies" area under My Areas. You will need it in step 5.

Step 2: Film every room

The fastest way to your basic inventory is Video capture. You make a short, slow pan across a room. OWNY recognises the items in it.

Before your first recording: on the capture screen, open "Adjust the analysis". Set the valuation type to "Replacement value". The default is "Market observation". That is what an item fetches second-hand. For home contents insurance you need the price new. With second-hand values your inventory would always come out too low.

How to record:

• One room per video. OWNY analyses the first 30 seconds and takes up to 24 frames from them. So pan slowly and completely rather than quickly.
• Good light, steady hand. OWNY cannot record what it cannot see in the picture.
• Cupboards and drawers separately. Afterwards, record what is inside cupboards with a Photo series. That is up to five pictures with many objects. One picture per shelf, one scan.

Then check the finds. Delete what does not fit. Correct names directly on the card. Then save and assign the objects to the right room. If they are already in your inventory, "Sort with OWNY" helps with that.

Cost: manual entries are free. Recognised objects use AI credit, more with market research than without. The pricing page shows how many scans your plan includes per month.

Step 3: Record valuable items individually and precisely

The video walk-through gives you the broad inventory. For expensive items it is not enough. The same goes for anything easy to steal or hard to replace. That includes TVs, laptops, cameras and consoles. It also includes bicycles and e-bikes, jewellery and watches, instruments, art and collections.

Photograph each of these items with Detail shots. That is up to five pictures of one object. A good series looks like this:

1. Overall view
2. Type plate or serial number, for a bicycle the frame number
3. Marks such as hallmarks (stamps in gold or silver), signatures, engravings or logos
4. Accessories and original packaging, if you have them
5. Condition: signs of wear, damage

Under "What the photo cannot show", enter what no photo shows. That means brand, model, year, material, condition, origin and purchase price. These details go into the estimate. Whatever you leave out there, the estimate cannot take into account.

Then open the object. Check the fields serial number, purchase price and purchase date. A serial number that only appears in a photo helps you little with the stolen-property list. If it is in the field, every export includes it.

Step 4: Attach receipts

A photo proves that something was there. It does not prove its value. That is what the receipts are for.

1. Open the object and choose Upload File. You can use a photo of the till receipt, an invoice PDF or an order confirmation from an online shop.
2. OWNY reads the file and files it with a type. Check the type. If needed, correct it with Change type:
   • Purchase Receipt: invoice, till receipt, order confirmation; also a bank statement showing the shop, date and amount
   • Warranty document: warranty card or warranty terms
   • Certified Appraisal: a written valuation by an appraiser, important for jewellery, watches and art
   • Certificate of authenticity: proof that an item is genuine and where it comes from
3. Check that the purchase price and date on the object match the receipt.

Important for the evidence level: you cannot set the status "documented" yourself. OWNAMIC works it out. A value only counts as documented if a certain file is attached to the object. That is a Purchase Receipt, a Certified Appraisal or a Certificate of authenticity. Without one, OWNAMIC shows honestly what the value rests on: researched, estimated or assumed. A value you only enter from memory counts as assumed. That way anyone reading the list can see what is documented and what is not.

No invoice any more? Search your mailbox for order confirmations. Check the order history in your online shop accounts. Look for the amount in your bank statements. Don't give up too soon. Even without a receipt you can show that you owned something, for example with photos and witnesses.

Step 5: Find the gaps

After a few rooms it is easy to lose track. Two views show you what is still missing.

Receipts & evidence. In the menu of your "Home & Inventory" edition you will find the Receipts & evidence page. It shows how many values are documented, researched, estimated or only assumed. It also shows where proof is missing.

My Policies → Docs. Open My Areas → My Policies. There, the Docs tab shows the Documentation Completeness for each object. Depending on the kind of item, it checks six building blocks:

The IMEI is a phone's device number. The VIN is a car's vehicle identification number. Sort by value and work from the top down. Fully documenting your ten most expensive items achieves more than a hundred small ones.

Step 6: Compare the totals with your policy

Now take out the figures from your preparation again.

Total value. Your inventory shows the estimated total value at the top. You can break it down by category. In the tree view, every row adds up everything inside it. So every room has its own total. Compare this figure with:

• your sum insured, or
• with a waiver of underinsurance, the flat rate: living area × the amount per square metre in your contract, e.g. 80 m² × €650 = €52,000.

Valuables. Filter your inventory by the categories that count as valuables, such as jewellery, watches and coins. Compare the total with the limit for valuables in your contract. OWNAMIC does not know your contract limits. It does not make this comparison itself. You make it with the figures from your preparation.

Read the total with care:

• Objects without an amount are missing from the total. No notice tells you so.
• Values of the valuation type "Market observation" are second-hand prices. They are usually below the price new. For important items, switch to "Replacement value". To do so, have them revalued with Re-estimate.
• AI estimates are reference values, not appraisals.

Is the total clearly above your sum insured or your limits for valuables? Then talk to your insurer or broker. A broker is an agent who compares policies for you. OWNAMIC gives you the figure for that conversation. It does not assess your contract.

Step 7: Export and keep a copy elsewhere

A list that burns with your home is no use. Your data in OWNAMIC is already stored outside your home. An export for your own records still does no harm. There are two routes, and they complement each other.

The PDF for reading. Open "My Home" and choose:

1. Export
2. This object and all descendants
3. Export as PDF
4. as the type, Comprehensive Documentation: every object gets its own page with pictures, valuations, events and relationships
5. under Include Images, preferably "All non-AI generated images"

Every page shows the path and room, brand, model and serial number. It also shows purchase price, purchase date and the estimated value. Next to the value it says what kind of value it is and whether it is documented. Two limits are worth knowing:

• From the detail page, at most 200 objects go into one export. If your home holds more, export it room by room.
• The PDF has no grand total. It only lists attached files. The invoices themselves are not in it.

The ZIP with all receipts. For the invoices, go to My documents:

1. New export
2. Select "My Home"
3. Switch on Include all files and Include contained objects
4. Under Name (optional), enter something like "Insurance 2026"
5. As the Report type, choose "Full report"
6. Generate export

The archive is built in the background. It contains a PDF report and the data as CSV tables, which you can open in Excel, for example. It also holds all files in folders named after the objects. OWNAMIC keeps the archive for 30 days. Download it. Keep a copy in a second place, for example on a USB stick with family or in another cloud storage service.

For valuables, it is worth asking your insurer a question. Would they like a list of your valuables in advance? If the insurer knew the list before the loss, it is hard to dispute afterwards.

Step 8: Keep it up to date

An inventory goes out of date with every purchase. Three habits are enough:

• After every larger purchase, record the object straight away and attach the receipt. It takes two minutes while the receipt is still in your pocket.
• Once a year, do a new walk-through. Mark what is gone. Record what is new. Then create a new export. While you are at it, check whether the sum insured still fits.
• For valuables, have the values updated with Re-estimate. This uses AI credit. Appraisals for jewellery and watches can be out of date after a few years. That is because gold and collector prices move.

Record deadlines such as the end of a warranty as an event on the object. In your edition you will find them collected under Warranties. That way you also keep an eye on the seller's liability for defects, not just insurance. That liability is the seller's duty by law. A guarantee is a voluntary promise, usually from the manufacturer.

If it happens: after a burglary

1. Call the police and leave everything as it is. Keep the scene as untouched as possible. Photograph the traces.
2. Block your cards and accounts.
3. Inform your insurer without delay.
4. Put together the stolen-property list. Open My documents → New export. Select exactly the objects that are missing. With Include all files you get their photos and receipts as well. The list with photos, purchase date, purchase price and serial number goes to both the police and the insurer. Ask them whether either needs its own form.
5. Record the damage on the object. With Add Event, create a Damage Report. Enter the date and the police reference number. For water or fire damage, attach the photos of the damage.
6. Mark additions as additions. Whatever comes to mind later, submit it afterwards. Mark it as an addition. If you inflate values or invent items, you risk losing the entire claim.

Did you create a Finder QR for a stolen item beforehand? Then you can use Report missing there. Anyone who scans the code will see the notice that it has been reported missing. That can help you get it back. It does not prevent theft. It does not replace a police report either.

What OWNAMIC does not do here

• OWNAMIC does not guarantee a payout. The insurer decides whether and how much it pays. It goes by the contract and the evidence.
• OWNAMIC does not check your contract. It knows neither your sum insured nor your limits for valuables. It does not tell you whether your cover is enough.
• OWNAMIC does not calculate a current (depreciated) value or a payout. The current value is what an item is worth after age and wear.
• An AI estimate is not an appraisal. For jewellery, watches and art it is a starting point. It cannot tell whether something is genuine. It cannot see the inside of a device or a past repair either.
• OWNAMIC does not yet have a dedicated insurance or stolen-property export. You use the general PDF and ZIP exports. The PDF contains no grand total and no attached documents.

Checklist to take with you

• Sum insured, living area, limits for valuables and add-on cover noted from the policy
• "Home" template set up, cellar, attic and storage room added
• Policy uploaded as Insurance Policy, "My Policies" unlocked
• Valuation type set to "Replacement value"
• Every room recorded by video capture, cupboard contents by photo series
• Valuable items recorded with detail shots, including serial or frame number
• Purchase receipts, appraisals and certificates attached and their type checked
• Gaps worked through in "Receipts & evidence" and under My Policies → Docs
• Total value and total of valuables compared with the policy
• PDF (Comprehensive Documentation) and ZIP with all files downloaded, copy in a second place
• Reminder set for the yearly walk-through

Read on: Digital inventory management: what matters · When the House Burns Down and Nothing Is Documented

Sources

• GDV: General Home Contents Insurance Conditions (VHB 2022), square-metre model, model conditions (German): https://www.gdv.de/resource/blob/6114/458ab7b03401b2bb3bd22b707a5ec6cc/allgemeine-hausrat-versicherungsbedingungen-vhb-2022-quadratmetermodell--data.pdf
• GDV: Clauses for the VHB 2022, including bicycle theft and records of manufacturer, brand and frame number (German): https://www.gdv.de/resource/blob/5924/2f322d3476efd2d70a9ebbdc7bb77db8/was-kann-zusaetzlich-zu-den-allgemeinen-hausrat-versicherungsbedingungen-vhb-2022-versicherungssummenmodell-vereinbart-werden-data.pdf
• Verbraucherzentrale: Home contents insurance – the value of your furnishings matters (underinsurance, valuables; German): https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/hausratversicherung-auf-den-wert-der-einrichtung-kommts-an-13889
• Verbraucherzentrale: Burglary – when does home contents insurance pay? (stolen-property list, duties after a burglary; German): https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/wohnungseinbruch-wann-zahlt-die-hausratversicherung-20254
• Verbraucherzentrale: Cover against natural hazards (German): https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/versicherungsschutz-gegen-elementarschaeden-11440
• Stiftung Warentest: How to estimate your home contents (German): https://www.test.de/Gewusst-wie-Hausrat-schaetzen-4977867-0/
• Stiftung Warentest: Home contents insurance – eight tips so the insurer pays (German): https://www.test.de/Hausratversicherung-Acht-Tipps-damit-der-Versicherer-im-Schadensfall-zahlt-5652344-0/
• Finanztip: Waiver of underinsurance (German): https://www.finanztip.de/hausratversicherung/unterversicherungsverzicht/
• Higher Regional Court of Cologne, 9 U 12/17 (duty to submit a stolen-property list is valid), report by IWW (German): https://www.iww.de/vk/sachwertversicherung/hausratversicherung-pflicht-zum-einreichen-einer-stehlgutliste-8-vhb-2014-ist-wirksam-f107959
• Higher Regional Court of Celle, 8 U 190/14 (a late stolen-property list is not automatically grossly negligent), report by Versicherungsbote (German): https://www.versicherungsbote.de/id/4913709/Hausratversicherung-verspatete-Einreichung-einer-Stehlgutliste-nicht-automatisch-fahrlassig/

Limits, flat rates and deadlines differ between policies and insurers. The amounts given are typical figures from consumer and industry sources, not binding values. Your contract is always what counts.