Write the list before anything moves
An inventory is the least interesting hour of a move and the one that settles every argument afterwards. Without it, "I'm sure there was another box of books" is a feeling. With it, it is a fact.
Professional crews produce their own inventory on larger jobs, and it is worth having regardless. Yours is not a check on their honesty. It is a check on a day when forty items are carried past you by six people while you are also answering the phone to a solicitor.
Do it as you pack, not on the morning. Room by room, in the same order you will unpack.
What to record
Keep it simple enough that you will actually finish it.
- A number for every box and every item of furniture. Write the number on the box itself, on two sides.
- The room it goes to at the new property, not the room it came from.
- Rough contents. "Kitchen: pans, baking trays" is enough for most boxes.
- Condition of anything already marked or damaged. A scratch that existed before the move is worth noting, because it cannot then be disputed either way.
- Serial numbers for televisions, computers, appliances and anything else of value.
- Photographs. The quickest inventory in existence is a phone video walking through each room narrating what is there, plus close photographs of anything valuable and of existing damage.
Mark separately the things travelling with you rather than in the van: documents, jewellery, medication, keys, anything irreplaceable.
Check it twice, at both ends
As it loads. Tick items off as they go out. This is where you notice the box still sitting in the loft and the garden furniture nobody mentioned.
As it unloads. Tick them off again coming in. Do this while the crew is still there, not the following morning. A missing item identified on the day is usually a five-minute problem; the same item raised a week later is a much harder conversation.
If something is missing, check the obvious first. Is it still on the van? Has it been carried into a different room? And, if part of your load went into storage, is it in the container rather than lost? Belongings split between a van and a storage container are the commonest explanation for something apparently vanishing.
Note damage before you sign anything
Most removal companies ask you to sign a delivery note. Read it, and do not sign a clean one if the position is not clean.
If anything is damaged, or anything is missing:
- Write it on the delivery note before signing, in specific terms
- Photograph the damage immediately, with the item in place if possible
- Keep the packaging it came in, since insurers often ask
- Report it in writing to the company, not only verbally to the crew
Time limits matter here. Many removal firms' terms require written notice of loss or damage within a set period after delivery, commonly seven days, and some require obvious damage to be noted at the point of delivery. Check the terms in your quotation before the move rather than after, because a late claim can be refused on that basis alone.
What insurance will and will not cover
Two exclusions catch people repeatedly.
Self-packed boxes. Goods in Transit cover frequently excludes anything the customer packed, since the firm cannot verify how it was filled. If you packed it and it broke, you may have no claim.
High-value items not declared. Policies carry per-item limits. Jewellery, art, collections and similar usually need to be declared in advance and specifically covered. Our guide to what a removal quote actually pays for covers the insurance questions to ask when booking.
An inventory with photographs is what turns a claim from an assertion into evidence, whichever policy applies.
If storage is involved, the list matters more
A move that passes through storage has more handovers, and every handover is a chance for something to be misplaced.
Keep the inventory for the whole period, and note which items went into which container. When belongings come back, check them off exactly as you did on the way out. If containers are returned in stages, expect the list to be the only reliable record of what is still in the warehouse.
A simple format that works
You do not need software. A notebook or a spreadsheet with five columns:
| Number | Room (new) | Contents | Condition | Checked in |
Number every box sequentially across the whole house rather than restarting in each room, so there is only ever one box 34.
Take a photograph of the finished list, or email it to yourself, so it exists somewhere other than the notebook you have just packed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an inventory for a house move? It is strongly advisable for anything larger than a single room, and essential if your belongings are going into storage or travelling in more than one vehicle. It is the only reliable way to know afterwards whether everything arrived.
How do I make a removal inventory? Number every box and item, record the destination room and rough contents, note any pre-existing damage, photograph valuables and serial numbers, and tick items off both as they load and as they unload.
What should I do if something is damaged during a move? Note it on the delivery note before signing, photograph it immediately, keep the packaging, and report it to the company in writing. Check your contract for the notice period, which is often seven days.
What if something is missing after the move? Check the van, other rooms, and any storage container first, since split loads are the commonest explanation. If it is genuinely missing, report it in writing straight away rather than waiting.
Are self-packed boxes covered by removals insurance? Usually not. Goods in Transit policies commonly exclude items packed by the customer, because the company cannot verify how they were packed. Ask before deciding how much to pack yourself.
Should I photograph my belongings before a move? Yes. A phone video of each room plus close photographs of valuables and existing damage takes ten minutes and is the most useful evidence you can have if anything is later disputed.
How we can help
RMV Storage & Removals has moved households across London for over fifteen years, with house and office removals, packing services and materials and container storage delivered to your door, across every area we cover.
For the wider timeline, see the moving house checklist, and for the final fortnight two weeks to go. If you are moving anything unusual or valuable, get in touch and tell us what it is before the day.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published July 2016. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.