How to Gather Pre-Loss Photos of Your Home After a Fire, Flood, or Other Disaster

After a major loss like a fire or flood, homeowners often find themselves scrambling to document what was inside the home before the damage occurred. Insurance companies require proof—not just of what was lost, but of what was there to begin with. But even if you didn’t take inventory photos ahead of time, there’s still a good chance you can recover visual evidence to support your claim.

This guide will walk you through how to gather “pre-loss” photos from your personal archives and public sources, and how to use those images to support your insurance claim.

Step 1: Look Through Your Personal Photo Archives

Start with your own photos—taken over the years during everyday moments, family celebrations, or home improvement projects. The key is to look past the main subjects of the photo and focus on the background.

Where to Look:

• Holiday photos (e.g., Christmas trees, birthday parties, Thanksgiving dinners)

• BBQs, garden parties, or events in the backyard

• Photos of kids opening gifts in the living room

• Family members cooking in the kitchen

• Pictures posted to social media accounts (yours and relatives’)

• Phone photo libraries, old camera SD cards, cloud backups

What to Look For:

• Furniture – sofas, dining sets, bedroom pieces

• Artwork and Antiques – framed art, collectibles, heirlooms

• Decor and Fixtures – chandeliers, moldings, built-in shelves

• Appliances and Electronics – TVs, kitchen appliances, stereo equipment

• Building Features – fireplaces, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, windows

Even if an item isn’t the subject of the photo, a partial view or reflection in a mirror can help verify its presence.

Step 2: Ask Family and Friends

Others may have taken pictures in your home over the years. Ask close friends, relatives, or house guests if they have any photos from past visits. These secondhand images can be especially useful if they show different rooms or angles you don’t have in your own collection.

Let them know you’re gathering evidence for your insurance claim—it’s often a simple favor with meaningful impact.

Step 3: Check Emails, Documents, and Cloud Storage

You may have emailed photos of renovations, furniture, or home purchases to a contractor, spouse, or family member. Look through:

• Email attachments

• Shared drives (Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive)

• PDFs or documents sent to realtors, appraisers, or designers

• Screenshots or text message threads with photos of recent updates

Step 4: Review Listing Photos from Before You Moved In

If you purchased your home relatively recently, find the original real estate listing. Sites like Zillow or Realtor.com often still host old listings with interior and exterior photos. These can establish a general baseline for your home’s layout and finishes.

Important Caveat: These listing photos may not reflect your updates or personal items. If you remodeled the kitchen, installed new flooring, or upgraded the appliances, that won’t be captured unless you also have more recent photos to supplement.

Step 5: Upload and Organize Your Photos in Loti

Once you've gathered all the relevant photos, upload them to the Evidence tab in your Loti account. This creates a clear and time-stamped record that helps establish your scope of loss for the insurance company.

Loti keeps everything neatly organized by room or item, so your photos stay connected to the right part of your claim. When you're ready to submit, we make it easy to include this visual documentation as part of a comprehensive evidence package for your insurance carrier.

Step 6: Use Your Photos to Support Inventory and Building Claims

These pre-loss images can:

• Validate the existence of personal property items without receipts

• Confirm finishes and building materials like crown molding, wood flooring, or stone countertops

• Show upgrades like built-in speakers or specialty lighting

• Demonstrate that your home was in good condition before the event

Even if an item isn’t clearly priced or documented, photos help you assert that it was present and affected by the loss.

Wrap-Up

You don’t need a perfect inventory to build a strong insurance claim—just solid, honest visual evidence. By gathering personal photos, asking others, and searching for archived images of your home, you can recreate a detailed picture of what was lost.

At Loti, you can upload these pre-loss photos by room, link them to items in your inventory, and build a well-documented claim. It’s one of the most valuable steps you can take after an incident—and it starts by simply looking back through your memories.