Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings Direct's home policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria for combined building and contents insurance policy.

4,4 Safe overall rating for Hastings Direct

	Safe rating	Our opinion
Customer service & satisfaction and claims		Great customer reviews on Trustpilot Standard and Premier home insurance policies rated 5 stars by Defaqto 24/7 Claims helpline
Cover provided for your home		Up to £150 000 for contents maximum sum insured Unoccupancy period cover of only 30 days Blockage of sewer pipe and build-up of groundwater not included in building insurance
Value for money		NCD available Discount available for combined building and contents insurance APR rate of 29,90%
Financial strength		Part of the Hastings Insurance Services Limited gathering People's Choice, InsurePink Policy underwritten by a panel of insurers such as AXA, Royal Sun Alliance, Lloyds Banking Group
Technology		Customer portal MyAccount to manage policy Claim process online Webchat available

Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for Hastings Direct home insurance

Review organisation	Hastings Direct home insurance reviews
Defaqto expert	Essential: 3 stars Standard: 5 stars Premier: 5 stars
Trustpilot	4,3/5 based on 51,834 customers reviews
Which? Score	56% for building insurance 55% for contents insurance

Our general opinion on Hastings Direct home insurance

Hastings Direct was founded in 1997 and was first only providing car insurance. The company has now become one of the leading insurance provider across the UK and offers home, bike and van insurance. It is part of the famous Hastings Insurance Services Limited gathering brands such as InsurePink or People's choice.

The standard building insurance doesn't come with blockage of sewer pipe cover or gradual build up of groundwater cover, unlike competitors. Cover provided for keys is also quite low. The Premier building insurance plan offers higher protection with Home emergency and Legal expenses included as standard (available as optional extras for standard insurance policy). You can even get up to £200K for alternative accommodation. The Essential building insurance plan, on the other hand, rated 3 stars by Defaqto only offers very basic protection with a maximum building insurance sum insured of 500k and owner's or occupier's liability limit of £1M.

Standard contents insurance does not cover contents in the open or in outbuildings. You will need to get the Premier plan to be covered up to £5000.
However, the standard policy offers great cover for money and credit card at home or away from the home (£500 in Essential Plan).

What does Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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.

Hastings Direct buildings and contents insurance

Hastings 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:

Hastings Direct building insurance	Limits
Maximum sum insured	£1 000 000
Owner liability	£2 000 000
Alternative emergency accomodation	£100 000
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	£500 - £1500 (optional)
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	£150 000
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	£1 000
Contents kept in outbuildings (garage included)	£3 000
Thefts from outbuildings	£3 000
Single item limit for valuables	£1 500
Items temporarily removed from home	£2 500
Money in and outside the home	Inside: £500 Outside: Up to £10 000 (personal possessions cover available as extra)
Credit cards in and outside the home	Inside: £1 000 Outside: Up to £10 000 (personal possessions cover available as extra)
Business equipment kept at home	£6 000
Student equipment	£2 500
Keys cover	£500 - £1500 (optional)

Hastings Direct home insurance additional cover

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

	Home insurance additional cover
Accidental damage cover	Optional extra (included as standard in Premier insurance)
Home emergency	Optional extra Up to £1 000 per call out Up to £250 for emergency accommodation
Boiler cover	Not covered
Legal protection	Optional extra Up to £75 000 for expert lawyers fees
Personal possessions	Optional extra Up to £10 000 for personal possessions cover at home Up to £10 000 for single item limit away from home Up to £10 000 limit for personal possessions kept in a car
Mobile cover	Part of the personal possessions cover Up to £10 000 limit
Bicycle cover	Included as standard Up to £10 000 limit

Hastings 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	£100
Excess for escape water claims	£350
Excess for subsidence claims	£1 000
Excess for personal possessions	£100
Excess for keys	£100

Hastings Direct home insurance fees and NCD

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

	Fees applied to manage your Hastings Directhouse policy
Interests on payment installments	29,90%
To renew my policy	£5
To adjust my policy	£20,0
To duplicate documents	£0
To cancel my policy during cooling-off period	£25
To cancel my policy outside cooling-off period	£35
For payment default	£12
To switch from one insurer to Hastings Direct	Not covered

How much does Hastings Direct home insurance cost?

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

	Building insurance	Contents insurance
Excess	£100	£100
Home cover	Building: £250 000 Contents: £20 000 Personal items: £4 000	Building: £500 000 Contents: £50 000 Personal items: £8 000
Premium	£213,27	£418,46

It is very difficult to give a precise range of how much exactly will your home insurance cost at Hastings 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.

Hastings 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.

Hastings Direct home insurance discounts available

Discount is given for buying combined policy.

How do I a claim on Hastings Direct home insurance?

To make a claim at Hastings Direct, you first need to have a look at your policy schedule and see which insurer is underwritting your home insurance policy. You can then directly call the claim helpline from your underwriter as mentioned below.

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 Hastings Direct home insurance?
Claim by phone	Depending on the underwriter: Axa and Advantage: 0345 873 4429 Geo: 01708 777 454 Integra: 01274 700 810 Lloyds Banking Group: 0345 074 4826 Royal Sun Alliance: 0330 041 6186

How can I cancel Hastings Direct house insurance?

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

	Cancelling your home insurance at Hastings Direct
Cancellation notice if Hastings Direct cancel your policy	7 days
Cancellation fees	Fees during cooling-off period: £25 Fees outside cooling-off period: £35
Cancel by phone	0333 321 9681

How to contact Hastings Direct home insurance?

Services	Phone numbers	Opening hours
Claims	Depending on the underwriter: Axa and Advantage: 0345 873 4429 Geo: 01708 777 454 Integra: 01274 700 810 Lloyds Banking Group: 0345 074 4826 Royal Sun Alliance: 0330 041 6186 If you don't know: 0333 321 9681	24/7
Renewals	0333 321 9681	Monday-Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 10am-2pm Sunday Closed
Existing customers	0333 321 6975	Monday-Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 10am-2pm Sunday Closed

Hastings Direct home insurance contact details

	Hastings Direct contact details
Hastings Direct address	Hastings Direct conquest house, 34 Collington Ave, Bexhill-on-Sea TN39 3LW, UK
Customer service email	Contact form
Chatbot available	Web chat is available to discuss quote or make changes to your existing policy.

How do I get Hastings Direct home insurance quotes?

To get a quote online at Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings 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.