SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The motto for handyman Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes is 'make it right,' but for Kevin Martin and First Choice Inventory Services, it's 'know what you own.'

Kevin Martin wants people to know what they own in case of a fire or a home invasion. His new business, First Choice Inventory Services, helps get documentation of all belongings onto a CD, using video, pictures and a written list to make it easier to make a claim through property or rental insurance. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

Martin, who recently moved to Yellowknife from Peace River, Alta., is offering a service in Yellowknife to help homeowners document what they own in case of fire or theft.

"Whenever you got get your property or tenant insurance they always tell you to get an inventory of what you have, because otherwise most of us don't know what we have or the value of it at the time," Martin said.

An inventory makes making claims easier when disaster strikes.

"You're going through a situation where you've lost everything and now you've gotta think about everything you have," Martin said.

"It takes a long time. This just makes it easier during a difficult time.

"If you know what you've got you're covered. It's a no-brainer."

It was a fire that made Martin realize that a service like home inventory is something people should take advantage of.

"A friend of mine had a major fire, her condo complex burned down. She got out with her kids and her cats and that was it," Martin said.

"The claim was open for a year and after a year she went back to get camping gear because it burned in the fire, but she wasn't able to claim it anymore.

"Who knows what else she forgot to claim, and it gave me the idea of how many other people don't know what they have."

Martin said if a fire or a home is broken into and items are stolen, at least all the information has been documented, something he said less than 20 per cent of Canadians do.

"Insurance companies will pay, but they want to be fair so you have to prove what you have and that can be tough," he said.

"So that's why I started this."

Martin videotapes an entire residence, whether it be a house or an apartment, documenting all personal property for clients, which he said includes small businesses looking to do an inventory of all its belongings.

"I videotape every room in the place and then go back and do the major stuff with a still camera," Martin said.

"I take down model numbers and serial numbers on more expensive items. After that I put everything onto discs and give it to the customer. It's as simple as that.

"It's a neutral third-party documentation. If the insurance company thinks there is something wrong, they know it's a third party who did it."

While taking inventory of everything a person owns is something anyone can do, Martin said having someone come in and take inventory will help ease the strain a person can face when claiming lost items through insurance.

"(It only) takes two to three hours," he said."No one wants to crawl around and get serial numbers or taking pictures of what they have. It's one of those tedious things, or 'it'll never happen to me.'"

Martin wanted to make it clear he isn't an appraiser and doesn't place value on things, but advises appraisal of expensive belongings.