One of the most important things you must do when you have a home insurance is to write down a list of all the items there are in it or, at the very least, a list with the most expensive items. Also, you should know how much you paid for each one of them or, if you are not sure, come up with an estimate amount. You can also take pictures of the items or even film a video while describing them and saying how much they cost. This is so that, in case something happens to your house, both you and your insurance company will know the exact amount of money you have to receive. Know the coverage of your home insurance Before you get a home insurance you must first consider everything that could happen to your house in order to buy the home insurance that covers the most casualties. This means that you will be paid for a wide variety of accidents. For example, if you live in an area where flooding is common, make sure you buy a flood damage policy in addition to your home one because most home insurances don't cover the costs of flood damage. Document damage and avoid temporary repairs If an accident happens to your house, it's vital that you either take pictures or make a video of the damage as soon as you can before you touch or repair anything. That way your home insurance company will have the chance of seeing exactly the state of your house and know how much money you have to receive. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible As soon as an accident, like for example a flooding, happens to your house, contact your insurance company to get the claims process rolling because these things take time and you will want them to act as quickly as possible. Get ready to negotiate Although the insurance agents are the ones who will determine how much your payout will be, you can still try to negotiate a higher one if you think the one proposed is too low.