A Schlep Now, or a Crisis Later? Keep Your Household Information Up to Date as You Go

Let's be honest: household admin is a schlep. Photographing the new TV, filing the receipt, checking whether the funeral policy still covers everyone, telling someone where the original will is kept — it always feels like something for "one weekend".

And then life happens. A burst pipe. A break-in. A fire or a flood. Or the phone call nobody wants — someone in the family has died. Suddenly the information that felt optional is urgent, and the person who knew where everything was may not be able to tell you.

When the information matters most

After a break-in. Housebreaking is the most common crime affecting South African households, and Stats SA's latest Victims of Crime survey found that, unlike most other household crimes, "housebreaking continues to increase." After a break-in, your insurer will want to know what was taken, what it was worth and that you owned it. As the Ombudsman for Short-term Insurance has put it, proving ownership of household items "is not as easy as it may seem."

After a fire or flood. When the KwaZulu-Natal floods struck in April 2022, Santam alone estimated its gross exposure at R4.4 billion. For the families affected, the receipts, photos and documents needed to claim were often lost along with everything else. Records kept only on paper — or only in one place — can disappear in a single afternoon.

When you're underinsured. If your contents are insured for less than they're actually worth, insurers can apply the "average" clause and reduce what they pay. In one example shared by the Ombudsman, a homeowner insured for R100,000 discovered after a robbery that her contents were worth R200,000 — and received only half of her claim. Most people only find out when they claim.

When someone dies. Grief is hard enough without a search. Yet a Discovery Life survey of its clients aged 35 to 65 found that 31% didn't have a will, and two-thirds hadn't updated theirs in the past year. According to Master of the High Court data cited by Discovery, more than 70% of working South Africans don't have a will. Even when there is one, the family still needs to know where the original is and who the executor is.

When the policy is there, but nobody knows about it. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority estimates that almost R90 billion is sitting in unclaimed assets across South Africa's financial sector, including retirement benefits and insurance policies. Among the reasons it gives: people don't keep their own and their beneficiaries' details up to date, and don't tell beneficiaries that the assets exist or where they're held.

Why "one day" never comes

It isn't that we don't care. It's that the job feels too big. Sitting down to record everything at once is overwhelming, so it gets put off — and the gap between what we own and what we've recorded grows every month.

The answer isn't a big annual clean-up. It's doing it as you go: small, quick updates at the moment something changes, when the information is right in front of you.

Little and often: what "as you go" looks like

• When you buy something worth insuring, snap the receipt and a photo of the item before the box goes out. Add the serial number while it's still on the packaging.
• When a policy changes — a new funeral policy, a new car, a renewed household insurance — update who's covered, the policy number and where the documents are.
• When a will is signed or updated, record where the original is kept and who the executor is, and tell the person who'll need to know.
• After a renovation or repair, keep the invoice, the compliance certificate and a photo. They matter for insurance, and for selling one day.
• Once a year, pick a date you'll remember — a birthday or renewal month — and walk through each room with your phone, checking the big things are still recorded.

Each of these takes a few minutes. Together, they mean that when something happens, the information is already there.

Make sure the right people can find it

Keeping records is only half the job. If you're the only one who knows where they are, they're not much help when something happens to you.

Decide who should be able to find what: a spouse, an adult child, a trusted family member. Some information everyone in the house should have — emergency numbers, the vet, the insurer's claims line. Other details, like policies and the will, should be kept for the people you choose.

(We've written more about this in Would your family know where to find your important information? and What you'd actually need to prove after a break-in or a burst geyser.)

How Axario Home helps

Axario Home is designed to make "as you go" quick enough that it actually happens.

• Capture in seconds. Scan a receipt and Axario reads it for you, or take a photo of an item or vehicle and Photo AI fills in the details.
• Gentle nudges for the small gaps. Axario points out the little things worth adding to what you've already saved — a missing policy number, where the original will is kept, a photo of an item. Each one takes a minute, and you can dismiss any you don't need.
• A home inventory that's ready for a claim. Keep photos, receipts, serial numbers, values and the room each item lives in, then download an insurance summary or a claim report when you need one.
• Wills and policies, recorded properly. Note whether there's a will, where the original is kept, the executor and the attorney. Record life, funeral and medical aid policies with the provider, policy number, who's covered and where the documents are.
• Reminders before things lapse. Get reminded before policy review dates, and before vehicle licences, warranties and documents expire — in the app and by email.
• An "If something happens" summary. One view brings together your policies, will details, home and vehicle insurance, emergency contacts, your attorney and broker, and where important papers are kept — download it as a PDF or print it for the people who'll need it.
• Emergency contacts one tap away. South African emergency numbers alongside your own household contacts and service providers, with tap-to-call.
• The right access for your family. Invite family members with their own access level. Wills, policies and private medical details stay with the people you choose.
• Your information, always yours. Export all your household data at any time.

It's still admin. It's just admin that takes minutes, not weekends — and it's there on the day it matters.

Axario Home — your digital memory for the modern home.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I update my home inventory? Add items as you buy them, and do a quick walk-through of each room once a year. The Ombudsman for Short-term Insurance recommends updating your inventory yearly or whenever you acquire new items, and photographing each room.

What information should my family be able to find in an emergency? Emergency contacts, your insurers and policy numbers, life and funeral policies (and who's covered), where the original will is kept and who the executor is, medical aid details and where important documents are stored.

What happens if I'm underinsured? If your contents are insured for less than their actual value, your insurer may apply the average clause and pay out proportionally less, even on a partial claim. Keeping your inventory and values up to date helps you insure for the right amount.

Why should I tell someone where my will is? A will only helps if it can be found. Your family and executor need to know where the original is kept — it can't be easily replaced — so the estate can be reported to the Master of the High Court without delay.

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