Short answer: the policy forms we read do not say a claim is impossible without receipts. They ask for documents that “verify,” “support” or “justify” the values in your inventory, and they do not list which documents an insurer will accept. State insurance regulators tell people without records to build a list from photos, memory and other sources. Whether your insurer accepts any particular substitute is the insurer’s decision, and no guide can promise it.
What we read for this guide
On October 27, 2026 we read the inventory and claim-duty sections of three policy forms: American Strategic Insurance Corp. form ASI HOR OK 09 21 (Oklahoma), Lemonade form LEM 04 05 23 (Colorado sample), and Allstate renters policy AS373 (Texas). We also read consumer claim guides from the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (PI-084, R 10/2024), the California Department of Insurance (Form 405, February 2025) and the South Carolina Department of Insurance, and a United Policyholders guide. Those regulator guides are written mainly for homeowners and for disasters, not specifically for renters. United Policyholders is a nonprofit that advocates for policyholders, so we label its statements as its own.
We did not find an insurer’s published statement of which substitutes for receipts it accepts, and we have not verified that any insurer accepts any of the items below.
What the three policy forms ask for
- ASI: a written inventory of damaged personal property showing quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss, and it says to attach “all bills, receipts and related documents that verify or support” the inventory.
- Lemonade: an inventory with quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss, and it asks you to attach bills, receipts and related documents that justify the figures.
- Allstate (Texas): a detailed list showing quantity, cost, actual cash value and amount claimed, and it asks you to give the insurer accounting records, bills, invoices and other vouchers that it may reasonably request.
All three also let the insurer ask to see the damaged property and request records. Ask your insurer what it will accept when a particular receipt does not exist.
Documentation guide: other ways to show what you owned
The regulator guides tell people who have no inventory to make lists of damaged items, photograph the damage, collect old receipts, bills and photographs, and, if everything was destroyed or no records remain, work from memory. The table turns that advice into specific sources. “Helps show” means what the item can illustrate, not what an insurer will accept.
| Evidence | Helps show | Where to look | Who suggests it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos or video of your home’s interior | That you owned the item, what it looked like, its condition | Your phone’s camera roll and cloud backups; photos taken by family or friends inside your home | Wisconsin, California and South Carolina regulators; United Policyholders |
| Your own room-by-room list | What you owned, when and where you bought it, about what you paid | Your memory, written down room by room | Wisconsin, California and South Carolina regulators |
| Brand names, model numbers and serial numbers | The specific item, so a replacement price can be found | The item itself if it survived; photos; product labels | Wisconsin and California regulators |
| Purchase records held by others | That a purchase happened | Card issuers and retailers, who United Policyholders says can help reconstruct purchases | United Policyholders |
| Online prices for replacements | Estimated replacement cost, not ownership | Retailer websites for comparable items | South Carolina regulator; United Policyholders |
| The damaged item itself | Its existence and condition | Keep it until the adjuster has seen it | Wisconsin regulator |
We did not find bank statements in the regulator guides we read, and we have not verified that any insurer accepts them. Ask your insurer which kinds of records it will consider.
Rebuilding a list when you have no records
- Go room by room, closet by closet, and write what was there. Include categories that are easy to forget: clothing, sports equipment, tools, china, linens, outside furniture, holiday decorations and hobby materials. The Wisconsin and California guides name these.
- For each item, note where and about when you bought it and about what you paid. Mark anything you are estimating as an estimate.
- Search your photos and ask family or friends for photos taken inside your home. The South Carolina guide suggests this.
- Add brand and model details you can recover, then price comparable items online.
- Ask the insurer in writing how much time you have to submit the list. South Carolina’s regulator says its adjusters give some time; we cannot say that applies to your insurer.
- Mark estimates as estimates and do not add items you did not own. United Policyholders says: “Insurance fraud (intentional misrepresentation) is a felony.”
Receipts you can still create: replacement purchases
Receipts matter in a second way. The ASI and Lemonade forms say that when the cost to repair or replace is more than $500, they pay no more than actual cash value until repair or replacement is complete, and each sets a 180-day window tied to the date of loss for pursuing the extra replacement cost. The Allstate form pays on an actual cash value basis if you do not repair or replace, and, where your declarations page shows its Personal Property Reimbursement provision applies, reimburses more if you replace the property within 365 days of the loss, extendable by 180 days on written request. The Wisconsin regulator advises keeping all receipts as you replace damaged items. Check your own policy for the exact conditions.
What this guide cannot tell you
- Whether your insurer will accept photos, statements or your own list for a particular item, or how it will value it.
- Whether your insurer will waive an inventory. United Policyholders advises asking an insurer to waive the requirement and adds: “Just know it’s a long shot.”
- How state law affects any of this.
Questions worth asking your insurer: What documents do you need for items I cannot show a receipt for? How long do I have to submit my inventory? Will you consider photos taken by family members? How do you calculate depreciation for items without a purchase date?
If you disagree with how the insurer handles your documentation, see how to file a renters insurance claim for the complaint pathway the NAIC describes.
Prepare before anything happens
The regulators we read recommend a home inventory and photos taken in advance. California suggests videotaping possessions room by room, and Wisconsin suggests updating your inventory with photos, model and serial numbers and receipts, and keeping a copy somewhere safe. Our home inventory worksheet lets you build a list in your browser and download it as a file; nothing is sent to us.
Sources
All accessed October 27, 2026.
- American Strategic Insurance Corp., form ASI HOR OK 09 21: oid.ok.gov.
- Lemonade sample form LEM 04 05 23 (Colorado).
- Allstate Renters Policy AS373 (Texas): policy document.
- Wisconsin OCI, PI-084 Consumer’s Guide to Settling Property Insurance Claims (R 10/2024).
- California Department of Insurance, Residential Property Claims Guide (Form 405, February 2025).
- South Carolina Department of Insurance, Post-Disaster Claims Guide.
- United Policyholders, Home Inventory and Contents Claim Tips.