When a claim is opened, the provider usually asks for the same few facts before anyone dispatches a technician: what the item is, who owns it, where it sits, and which contract covers it. If those facts are not at hand, the intake slows. This guide is about keeping them in one place so the claim does not wait on a search.
The identifiers to keep
Keep the make, model, and serial number of each covered item, copied from the rating plate or data label. Keep the install date or the date you took possession, the seller or installer's name, and the purchase or installation paperwork. Keep your contract number, the seller's name as it appears on the form, and the address where the item is located, including the room or zone if the contract is organized that way.
Keep it current
Update the file when an item is repaired, replaced, moved, or sold with the house. A replaced part can change a serial number on the record. A moved item can change the address a technician expects. Write the date you changed each entry, and keep the earlier version with the new one, so a reader can see what the file said before.
Store it in two places
Keep a paper copy in the house and a digital copy somewhere you can reach from outside it. A file kept only on a device that fails, or only in a folder that a new owner cannot open, is of little use to the next person who needs it.
What the roster does and does not add
Some states publish a roster of registered contracts, and this site's state pages say whether a roster exists and whether this edition has printed it in full. A roster listing shows that a contract is registered with the regulator. It is not a quality rating and does not describe what the contract covers. Use the roster to confirm the contract is on a list, then use your identifier file to match the item to that contract.