Matching of Items is a clause used by insurers to assist them with how they will settle claims for certain damage under your policy. If you have suffered damage to an item that forms part of a set or a suite this clause will usually apply.
The clause allows the insurer to only pay for the damaged part irrelevant of whether a match can be found.
For example, if you have a leak from the taps on your kitchen sink and it damages the cupboard doors and some drawer fronts, that match the rest of your kitchen, Your insurer will only pay for the cupboard doors and drawer fronts which were damaged regardless of whether they will match or not and this isn’t putting you back into your pre loss condition.
The insurer may look to offer a contribution of up to 50% for the undamaged parts of the kitchen. This is a guideline set out by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). They would usually assess the age and quality of the kitchen prior to making an offer of contribution. This means that you may find yourself with a bill to rectify the damage and have a kitchen that matches.
So what can you do to ensure you are not at a financial loss if the above happens to you?
Some insurance companies now offer Matching of Items cover, this is additional to your standard buildings and contents insurance and will be chargeable. The cost of the additional premium is usually minimal and therefore worth considering especially if your kitchen is bespoke.
In the event the insurer offers this cover already and you chose a different product or declined this extra cover they will not offer a matching of items contribution like detailed above and this is accepted by the FOS.
Matching of items extends to several items and areas in your home:
- Tiling – they may only tile the wall that has the damaged tiles, even worse they may only replace the row that’s damaged.
- 3-piece suite
- Bedroom furniture
- Floor coverings if they are the same in rooms that were unaffected.
More information can be found here https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/home-buildings-insurance/settling-home-insurance-claims
