First Direct Home Insurance Review and Quotes

Would you like to protect your home against any damage or an unfortunate event such as a house fire or theft?

Are you wondering if First Direct is the best home insurance company to protect your house?

You’ve come to the right place.

This ultimate and up-to-date review on First Direct home insurance gathers all you need to know: consumers reviews, cover details, prices, claim process, contact numbers and much more. Let’s dive right into it.

Is First Direct the best insurance company for you?

Getting the best home insurance deal is not just about the price. Indeed, focusing on just getting the cheapest deal might be a bad calculation when it comes to getting a good pay-out if your home is damaged as a result of an unfortunate event such as theft, fire or natural disaster.

At Safe, we’ve studied in detail First Direct's home policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria for combined building and contents insurance policy.

4,0 Safe overall rating for First Direct

	Safe rating	Our opinion
Customer service & satisfaction and claims		Social media availability 5 star Defaqto rating Information about services provided are detailed on the website Low reviews recorded on third party websites
Cover provided for your home		Contents cover up to £50,000 Unlimited cover for building insurance provided Cover for Contents temporarily removed from home up to £5,000 Religious festivals and wedding gift cover up to £3,000 is offered 3o days unoccupancy period which is on the low side
Value for money		15% discount is given to policyholders when the insurance policy is gotten online No administrative fees (adjustments, payment default, cancellation) is charged NCD is not available
Financial strength		First Direct's Home Insurance was underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited
Technology		Social media availability Useful documents are available on the website Customer login option is provided No live chat or chat bot

Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for First Direct home insurance

Review organisation	First Direct home insurance reviews
Defaqto expert
TrustPilot	2,2/5 based on 1,956 customer reviews
Smart Money People	4/5 based on 1 customer review

Our general opinion on First Direct home insurance

First Direct provides one level of home insurance which is rated 5 stars by Defaqto. Customers reviews recorded on TrustPilot have a low rating of 2.2 which means there is something wrong with the claims process. Their rating on Smartmoneypeople is 4.5 but that is only based on one review.

First Direct offers Comprehensive 5* Home Insurance which includes the building and content insurance. For the building insurance, unlimited cover is given for building insurance which when compared to other insurers is a good selling point for First Direct. A sum of £2M is given for liability, trace access cover of £5000 is provided, cover for subsidence is offered, cover is provided for burst pipes. In terms of services offered, First Direct is highly recommended.

The contents insurance provides special optional covers like the Clerical business equipment cover, Religious festivals and wedding gift cover. Up to £80000 worth of cover is provided for content insurance, cover is provided for temporarily removed items, home emergency, bicycle, legal protection covers are offered as optional extras. However, most of the important details are only available in the policy documents and this might be discouraging for potential policyholders.

Their services are recommended but there are better insurance companies that can be chosen.

What does First Direct home insurance cover?

What is more important than protecting your home – the roof under which you sleep with your loved ones?

Applying for home insurance at First Direct will allow you to protect the structure of your home (buildings insurance), what is inside (contents insurance) or both (combined buildings and contents insurance).

Without home insurance, your home is exposed to any kind of risk, from a minor water leak to a fire, and you are liable for any repairs – whatever the cost this represents.

Home insurance at First Direct covers you for any damage made as a result of an unfortunate event such as theft, fire and natural disaster causing leaks, flooding, etc.

First Direct buildings and contents insurance

First Direct provides three main types of household insurance:

• Buildings insurance
• Contents and personal possessions insurance
• Combined policy

Buildings insurance covers the structural aspects of your home. It will cover any damage made to your walls, floors, ceiling, windows, outbuildings, garages, etc. You can also extend your buildings insurance to permanent fixtures such as bathrooms, etc. Buildings insurance is for homeowners.

Contents insurance will cover any damage made to your belongings inside your home or in your garden (TV and other appliances, furniture, etc). In other words, it will cover anything which is not structural.

In the event of a fire, for instance, buildings insurance will give you compensation for your home structure, your walls, roofing or other structural elements damaged during the fire, and contents insurance will cover any damage made to your household appliances, furniture, jewellery and so on.

You will find below policy details for building and contents insurance:

First Direct building insurance	Limits
Maximum sum insured	Unlimited
Owner liability	£2 000 000
Alternative emergency accomodation	£80 000
Period of home's unoccupancy cover	30 days
Repairs guarantee period	1 year
Trace and access	£5 000
Burst pipe	As standard
Blockage of sewer pipe	Not covered
Gradual build-up of groundwater	Not covered
Subsidence	As standard
Underground services	As standard
Keys cover	£1 000
Flood and storm damage (except for fences)	As standard

Let’s have a look now at Esure contents insurance limits:

Contents insurance	Limits
Maximum sum insured	£80 000
Owner liability	£2 000 000
Alternative emergency accomodation	£10 000
Period of home's unoccupancy cover	30 days
Damage made by pets	Not covered
Contents kept in garden	Only stated in policy schedule
Contents kept in outbuildings (garage included)	Only stated in policy schedule
Thefts from outbuildings	£3 000
Single item limit for valuables	£1 500
Items temporarily removed from home	£5 000
Money in and outside the home	Inside: £750 Outside: £750
Credit cards in and outside the home	Inside: £1 000 Outside: £1 000
Business equipment kept at home	Only stated in policy schedule
Student equipment	Not Stated
Keys cover	£1 000

First Direct home insurance additional cover

On top of your First Direct buildings and contents insurance, you can find additional cover such as:

	Home insurance additional cover
Accidental damage cover	Optional extra
Home emergency	Optional extra Up to £1,000 limit per call out Up to £1,000 limit for emergency accommodation in the case that the house is uninhabitable
Boiler cover	Part of the home emergency optional extra Up to £500 for boiler replacement
Legal protection	Optional extra Up to £50,000 for legal representation
Personal possessions	Optional extra Cover between £2,000 and £10,000
Mobile cover	Optional extra Limit amount is not stated
Bicycle cover	Optional extra Limit is between £300 to £2,500

First Direct home insurance excess

The deductible you'll have to pay in case of claims are as described below:

	For both building and contents insurance
Excess for standard claims	Only stated in policy schedule
Excess for escape water claims	Only stated in policy schedule
Excess for subsidence claims	Only stated in policy schedule
Excess for personal possessions	Only stated in policy schedule
Excess for keys	Only stated in policy schedule

First Direct home insurance fees and NCD

To manage your policy, renew, cancel or modify it, First Direct fees are as follows:

	Fees applied to manage your First Directhouse policy
Interests on payment installments	0,00%
To renew my policy	£0
To adjust my policy	£0
To duplicate documents	£0
To cancel my policy during cooling-off period	£0
To cancel my policy outside cooling-off period	£0
For payment default	£0
To switch from one insurer to First Direct	Not covered

How much does First Direct home insurance cost?

You will below indicative quotes for building and contents insurance at First Direct:

	Building insurance	Contents insurance
Excess	Only stated in policy schedule	Only stated in policy schedule
Home cover	Building: £250 000 Contents: £20 000 Personal items: £4 000	Building: £500 000 Contents: £50 000 Personal items: £8 000
Premium	£173,89	£341,20

It is very difficult to give a precise range of how much exactly will your home insurance cost at First Direct as it will mainly depend on:

• The insurance you apply for (building, contents, combined insurance, extras)
• Your address
• Your claim record
• The insured value of your home and of your personal belongings, etc.

First Direct will establish a risk rate, taking into account all these elements, and offer you a price based on it.

The average cost of combined buildings and contents insurance in 2018 was £163, with contents insurance usually counting for a third of the premium (around £60) and building insurance for the rest (around £110). However, premium will be higher if you buy stand-alone building or contents insurance.

Do you want to compare the cheapest home insurance quotes? It couldn’t be easier. Just do a quick home insurance comparison using our comparison tool below. It takes only 15 seconds and is completely neutral and 100% anonymous.

First Direct home insurance discounts available

15% discount is given for combined policy.

How do I a claim on First Direct home insurance?

Claims can only be made via the company's 24/7 line.

You will be asked to provide your insurance policy number as well as details on claim circumstances such as date and time, pictures or other person involved.

	How to claim on First Direct home insurance?
Claim by phone	0345 300 6032

How can I cancel First Direct house insurance?

To cancel your First Direct house insurance, here is what you need to know:

	Cancelling your home insurance at First Direct
Cancellation notice if First Direct cancel your policy	14 days
Cancellation fees	Fees during cooling-off period: £0 Fees outside cooling-off period: £0
Cancel by phone	03 453 006 031

How to contact First Direct home insurance?

Services	Phone numbers	Opening hours
Quotes	03 456 100 101	Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat-Sun, 9am-5pm
Claims	03 453 006 032	24/7
Personal Legal and Tax advice helpline	0800 051 1716	24/7
Legal Expenses	0800 051 1716	24/7
Home Emergency service	03 453 000 957.	24/7

First Direct home insurance contact details

	First Direct contact details
First Direct address	First Direct Home Insurance 1 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 1HQ
Customer service email	Not available
Chatbot available	Not available

How do I get First Direct home insurance quotes?

To get a quote online at First Direct, it couldn’t be simpler.

You can go on our home insurance comparison tool here and compare the main home insurance deals on the market. If First Direct is the company that best suits your needs, then you just click on the ‘Get quote’ button and follow the whole process explained online.

To get First Direct home insurance quotes, you will need to provide:

• Your personal information: ID, age, phone number and job
• Your address and postcode
• Your homeowner record (claims included)
• Your home description (type of property, the date it was built, how many square metres inside and outside)
• Your property related status: do you own it, rent it, have a mortgage on it, etc.
• Extras you’d like to get on your home insurance, contents sum insured and the excess you’d like to pay.

The types of questions you will be asked are typically:

• Are you a first-time buyer?
• Has the property ever suffered from subsidence, cracking, subsidence or undergone any underpinning (or showed any signs)?
• Has the property ever been damaged by flood?
• Has anyone living permanently at the property made any home claim(s) for loss or damage in the past X years (usually 3) or had any claim(s) made against them? etc.

5 tips to reduce your First Direct house insurance quote

• Always shop around on home insurance comparison sites. If you do not auto renew and instead apply for new home insurance, you will easily be able to lower your house insurance cost and benefit from new customer discounts.
• Increase the excess amount you are willing to pay in case you make a claim.
• Choose the level of cover that is right for you. Insure with the right sum for both your buildings and contents insurance. If you do not have high value items, consider an ‘indemnity’ contents insurance rather than a ‘new for old’ one.
• Opt for a policy offering No Claim Bonus to lower your premium if you've gone for a few years without making any claim.
• Consider index-linked cover for building insurance to follow prices of building materials.