When a flood or a fire hits your home, you have to prove what you owned. The bills are usually underwater too.
That's the whole problem a home inventory business solves, and it is a bigger problem than most people think.
I'll work through one idea from the directory, Stuffproof, which records a home's contents in a way insurers can use at claim time.
The problem
After the 2015 Chennai floods, insurers had about 50,000 damage claims worth roughly ₹4,800 Cr by late January 2016, and at least 57,000 city homes had structural damage (source: Wikipedia summary of insurance reports, 2026). Every contents claim needs proof of ownership and value.
India's standard home policy, Bharat Griha Raksha, covers contents at 20% of the building sum insured up to ₹10 lakh by default, and jewellery and art only against a valuation certificate (source: insurer policy guide, 2026). How many families keep an up-to-date list of what they own? Very few. So surveyors and policyholders end up arguing item by item, which is slow for everyone and miserable for the family.
How the business works
Stuffproof walks a household through a 30-minute phone video of every room. Open each cupboard, film the TV's serial number, photograph the fridge's model plate. Image recognition suggests item names and you confirm them. Bills from email or photos attach to items, and the record sits in the cloud with a time stamp, so you can share it with an insurer or surveyor through one link.
The app also shows a replacement-cost range for each category, clearly marked as an estimate. It does not value anything. Used household goods have no reliable market price, and insurers settle on bills, replacement cost and surveyor judgement. So Stuffproof produces evidence and the surveyor decides.
I think that's the right call. A tool that claims to value your sofa would get argued with. A tool that proves you owned it gets used.
Who pays
The policyholder uses it, but the insurer or broker pays and hands it out free with home policies. The estimate on the page is ₹150–400 per policy per year as a platform fee.
The second option is direct to families who buy contents-only cover, at ₹999–1,999 a year (again an estimate). Renters with contents-only cover could be an early group, but check each insurer's terms first.
Why now
Since April 2021, general insurers have offered the same standard Bharat Griha Raksha home policy (source: insurer policy guide, 2026), so contents cover is comparable across insurers. The policy also stopped cutting claims in proportion for under-insured contents and pays the full sum insured instead (source: GKToday, 2021). That makes honest declaration worth something, and a clean record is how you declare honestly.
What it costs to start
The kit puts capital at ₹50–90 L over about 15 months, which takes you to two insurer or broker pilots and 10,000–20,000 completed home records. These are estimates -
| Item | Range (₹ L) |
|---|---|
| App, guided capture and item tagging | 18–32 |
| Cloud storage and image recognition | 4–8 |
| Replacement-cost price data | 3–6 |
| Insurer and broker sales | 8–14 |
| Security audit and privacy design | 5–9 |
| User support and onboarding | 4–8 |
| Legal | 3–6 |
| Contingency | 5–7 |
The line I'd watch is support. Families who film one room and stop give you almost nothing at claim time, so the money you spend getting them to finish is money well spent.
Licences and rules
A documentation app needs no licence, as long as it never sells insurance. This is not legal advice, so get a proper opinion before you sign anything with an insurer -
- IRDAI intermediary registration is needed to sell or solicit policies. Stay a documentation vendor to insurers and brokers, and get a legal opinion before any lead-sharing or commission deal [Requires validation].
- DPDP Act compliance before launch. Home videos and item lists are personal data, so you need consent, secure storage and breach reporting (source: PRS Legislative Research, 2023).
- Policy terms. Match your record to standard home policies, where valuables need a valuation certificate.
- Company registration with the MCA and GST before you bill insurers.
Building this outside India? Most countries have a local version of each rule, so check with your own regulator.
Your first 90 days
Here's the outline from the kit -
- Month 1. Build the guided capture flow and secure storage, get a legal opinion on intermediary rules and sign a letter of intent with one insurer or broker.
- Month 2. Launch to that partner's home policyholders in one city, and track completion rates and time per home.
- Month 3. Run a mock claim with the partner's surveyors on 20 records and measure how much faster they can verify items.
Good at day 90 means 1,000+ completed records, half of starters finishing the whole home and surveyors reporting a measurable cut in verification time. If the surveyors don't see a difference then the insurer won't renew, simple as that.
The risks
Here's what can go south -
- Insurer apathy. Home insurance is a small line for most insurers, and they may not pay for a tool.
- Incomplete records. A half-filmed home is close to useless when a claim comes.
- Privacy worries. A video of every cupboard is sensitive, and one breach would end trust.
Related ideas in home and consumer services
If you like the idea of selling peace of mind to households, a few neighbours in the directory are worth comparing. Eaveswell sells owners of older houses a yearly condition survey and fixed-fee upkeep plan, and its survey would sit nicely next to a contents record. Splitwatt fits per-room power sub-meters in PGs and hostels so residents get fair bills. Unlistly finds people's phone numbers and addresses online and gets them taken down, which is another privacy-first service people pay for. And Questlane is a reminder that the same "structured first 90 days" thinking works for HR buyers too.
For more, browse the consumer services startup ideas hub or all startup ideas for India.
Not if you only document contents and never sell, recommend or price insurance. Selling or soliciting policies needs IRDAI intermediary registration, so get a legal opinion before any commission deal. This is not legal advice.
How much does a home inventory business cost to start?
The research estimate is ₹50–90 L over about 15 months, with most of it going to the app, sales to insurers and security work.
Who pays for a home inventory app?
The likely payer is the insurer or broker, who offers it free with a home policy. Families buying contents-only cover are a second option at a small yearly fee.
Talk to Yash
If you're thinking about a home inventory business and want help with the insurer pitch or the pilot design, I'm glad to talk it through. Talk to Yash →
For illustration only. Ideas are hypothetical and names fictional; sourced facts may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.
For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.