Neighbourly and AMI team up to store contents info

Kiwi community website Neighbourly has launched a new online tool for its members to securely store information via their Neighbourly account.

Neighbourly's Home Contents Locker allows members to store information about valuable personal and home items.

The new feature is sponsored by AMI, one of Neighbourly's corporate partners.

The locker provides a record of belongings the would need to be replaced in the event of fire, burglary or other unexpected event.

The tool is accessible instantly anywhere, at any time, and is useful for insurance claims and assisting the NZ Police in tracking down stolen property, the community website explains.

All information stored is private and can only be accessed by the Neighbourly.co.nz member who has uploaded it.

Ruth Colenso, general manager customer claims for AMI, says the Locker is an intuitive resource available to all Neighbourly members that will make the 'unthinkable' easier to deal with.

"House fires and burglaries can be traumatic experiences, and the last thing you want to do is sit down with your insurance company and try to remember all the things you've lost " she says. "It also takes a lot of time. The Locker helps you keep track of your belongings – big or small – so if the unthinkable does happen, it's easier to make an insurance claim or file a police report, because you know exactly what you've lost and how much it's worth.

Colenso says it's common for Kiwis to under-insure themselves because they often don't think about the small things, and the small things add up.

"Listing your belongings on your own personal Locker will provide you with an estimate of how much it would cost you to replace everything you own if you lost it all," she says.    To use the Locker, Neighbourly.co.nz members upload images and details of individual items such serial numbers, receipts, valuations, warranties, purchase price and other key details.

They can upload pictures of individual rooms as a 'memory jogger' of personal possessions and download a full list of contents saved.

Casey Eden, Neighbourly.co.nz co-founder, says the Locker is the first in a series of useful Neighbourly tools that will make Kiwis' lives easier.

"Unexpected events are exactly that," says Eden. "Having to replace your belongings is a stressful time but the Locker makes the sometimes complex process of insurance claims and police reports a lot easier to manage.

"You don't have to list all your belongings in one hit either; adding a room at a time or new products as you buy them is a great way to approach the Locker," Eden adds.

Eden says the Locker will be constantly evolving.

"This is just phase one and we have some really exciting plans for the Locker moving forward.