An alarming increase in the number of burglaries and break-ins in Bermuda prompted Antoniette Talbot to set up her own inventory recording service.

Bermuda Inventory Recording Service, which is the first of its kind on the Island, covers everything from listing valuables in the home in the event of theft to detailing items for estate planning and wills.

Ms Talbot, who started the family business about two weeks ago, said the beauty of the service is that the company catalogues the exact possessions belonging to a person, whether it be a handful of sentimental or high value items such as jewellery and electrical goods or a list of everything they own.

"I was looking at the news every day and hearing about the tremendous increase daily of burglaries or the fact that people just did not have the proper security systems to guard against it, so I realised that there was an opportunity for us in providing people with assistance in documenting exactly what they do have," she said.

"I went on the police website and they list the number of grievances and what was stolen and I built a database of the different areas we cover.

"Then I saw an interview where police had recovered jewellery and electronics, but because people did not have the proper documentation they were not able to recover their belongings."

The service works by the customer filling out a sheet with all their details on and the company takes down written descriptions and pictures of everything listed and issues serial numbers for the electrical items and etches licence numbers on other possessions to make it both faster and easier to identify and retrieve.

The business is truly mobile, with Ms Talbot coming round to homes to carry out inventories and detail belongings.

Ms Talbot, who is well-versed in the business of keeping records, having previously been employed as a trademark administrator for Conyers Dill & Pearman and done a stint working in the Magistrates' Court, said the service also helps determine the precise content of a will for inheritance purposes and even in the case of a divorce when recording the total assets of a matrimonial state.

"Another area is estate planning," she said.

"Beneficiaries are sometimes left things, but they do not really know what they look like, and some of the terminology in a will is the house contents, but it does not necessarily have to document the contents, which is where the service comes in important.

"We also do this for divorce by going in documenting what the matrimonial assets are."

The company also offers membership services which allow users to update any of their purchases during the year at reduced rates, according to Ms Talbot.

"Once you document your valuables you sign off on it and say its is correct and we leave everything for you so it is security for you and us as well because there is nothing in our system with your details if somebody breaks in on us," she said.

"Upon receiving the inventory packet of your possessions, we strongly caution and advise that these documents be kept in a secure environment, such as a safety deposit box, filed with your attorneys or with your insurance company."

Ms Talbot said that she had been given nothing but support from interested parties, including the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation, while the service had also been well-received by the public.

"We went to Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation before we did anything just to float the idea by them to see if there was a market out there for it and they said there was and have been very supportive in giving us what we needed," she said.

"People have been really interested, so our customer base is growing and I am sure it will continue to grow and we recognise that this is a service that Bermuda needs."

To book the inventory service contact 333 4985 or email tonietalbs@m3wireless.blackberry.bm