The Document That Does the Work

Six months into an administration, nobody remembers exactly what was in the third bedroom. If a beneficiary believes a ring existed and the representative believes it did not, there is no way to settle it — and the relationship rarely recovers. An inventory converts an unanswerable question into a lookup.

• Each item described and photographed, front and back where relevant.
• Serial and reference numbers where they exist — watches, bars, equipment.
• The room it came from, which matters more than people expect.
• Everyone present, and the capacity in which they were there.
• Date, time, and the seal numbers on each container.

1. 01Made in the house, before anything is wrapped or moved.
2. 02You describe, we witness — we do not want to be the only record.
3. 03A copy in your hand before we leave the property.
4. 04Countersigned at vault entry and timestamped.
5. 05Released to anyone you name in writing — counsel, co-executor, beneficiaries.

We describe; we do not value. There is a real temptation for a custodian to put numbers next to items, and it is the wrong thing to do — valuation is a separate profession, an appraiser is independent of us, and a number written by the party holding the property is worth very little to a court.

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