How to Inventory a Home After Someone Dies

Updated August 1, 2026

Being named executor means you inherit a job, not just a role. Somewhere near the top of that job is an inventory: courts generally want a list of what the estate holds, beneficiaries want to know what there is, and you are the person expected to produce it — often while grieving, and often with relatives watching. Here is how to do it methodically, so it holds up and stays fair.

Why the inventory comes first

Almost nothing else in an estate can move until you know what is in it. You cannot value the estate, settle debts, distribute specific bequests, or file the paperwork honestly without a list. Doing it first also protects you: an executor who documents everything before anything leaves the house is in a much stronger position than one reconstructing it afterwards from memory and photographs on other people's phones.

Document before anything moves

This is the single most important rule, and the easiest to break. Items disappear from estates — sometimes through theft, far more often through a well-meaning relative taking something they were told they could have. Once it is gone, you cannot prove it was ever there. Photograph and record each room as you find it, before family visits, before the clear-out, before anything is packed.

What to record for each item

• A photograph — the most useful field, and the hardest to argue with
• A plain description: what it is, and where in the house it was
• An estimated value, and whether it needs a professional appraisal
• Serial numbers on electronics, appliances, vehicles, and firearms
• Whether the will names a specific beneficiary for it
• Any documentation you find: receipts, certificates, appraisals, warranties

Work room by room, and finish each one

A whole house is overwhelming. A room is finishable. Start with the rooms most likely to hold value — the main bedroom, the study, the living room, the garage — and complete each before moving on. If you have to stop for the day, you will have finished rooms rather than a partial pass over everything.

The places people forget

Estates hide value in dull places. Check the loft, the garage, the shed, and any storage unit the deceased was renting. Look in the backs of wardrobes, in filing cabinets, and in safes and safe-deposit boxes. Jewellery, coins, stamps, firearms, and small collections are easy to miss and disproportionately likely to be disputed later.

Know what needs a professional

You can reasonably estimate the value of a sofa or a television. You cannot reasonably estimate jewellery, antiques, fine art, collections, or unusual instruments — and guessing at those is where executors get into trouble. Record them carefully, photograph them thoroughly, and flag them for a qualified appraiser. Your job is to identify what needs expert valuation, not to be the expert.

Keep it transparent

Most estate conflict is not about money; it is about the suspicion that something was handled quietly. A documented inventory that beneficiaries can see removes most of that suspicion before it starts. Being able to show a photographed, dated list — rather than saying "it was already gone when I got there" — is worth more than it sounds.

Doing it with Stowly

Stowly is built around rooms, which is how estate inventories are actually made — you work through one at a time and it stays organised by where things were. Photograph as you go, note values and serial numbers, and unlimited items and rooms are free, so a full house costs nothing to catalogue. If you want to show beneficiaries what you have recorded without giving them an account, a read-only share link does that and can be revoked at any time. Share links, receipts, and the exportable PDF summary come with Plus.

Frequently asked questions

Does an executor have to inventory everything? Usually you must account for the estate's assets, though the required level of detail varies by jurisdiction and by the size of the estate. Ask the probate court or the estate's solicitor what form they expect — but a thorough inventory is useful regardless of what is strictly required.

What about items with no real value? Record them at a summary level rather than individually — "kitchenware", "books", "garden tools". Detail is for anything valuable, disputed, or specifically bequeathed.

Can beneficiaries see the inventory? Usually yes, and showing them early prevents most disputes. A read-only link is an easy way to share it without handing over control of the record.