Dial Direct Home Insurance Review and Quotes

verified information

verificator-profile-picture-profile-picture

Information verified by  Adeline Harmant

Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.

Discover the methodology
author-profile-picture
Alexandre Desoutter updated on September 23, 2020

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

3,2 Safe overall rating for Dial Direct

Safe ratingOur opinion
Customer service & satisfaction
and claims

High rating of 4.5/5 on TrustPilot
Average rating of 3.8/5 on Review.io
Contact details are not provided
Policy documents are not accessible
3 star rating on Defaqto

Cover provided for your home

The amount of cover provided for most of the services are not stated
A sum of £15,000 is provided for alternative accommodation which is on the low side

Value for money

NCD available
No discounts stated on website
£20 is charged for renewals
£35.00 is charged for cancellations both within and outside the cooling period of 14 days

Financial strength

Dial Direct is a trading name of BISL Ltd which is part of the BGL Group

Technology

24/7 claims helpline
Customer log in or register option is available
Little or no information is provided on the website
Policy documents are not available

Safe rating for Dial Direct home insurance

Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for Dial Direct home insurance

Review organisationDial Direct home insurance reviews

Defaqto expert
defaqto 3 stars 1
TrustPilot4,5/5 based on ‎9,803 customer reviews
Reviews.io

3,8/5 based on 320 customer reviews

Consumer satisfaction rates on reviews for Dial Direct home insurance

Our general opinion on Dial Direct home insurance

Dial Direct offers home, car and van insurance. Only one level of home insurance cover is provided. Dial Direct insurance was underwritten by BISL Ltd which is part of the BGL Group and they have a 3 star rating on Defaqto and a 4,5 rating on TrustPilot. This alludes to their financial capacity to pay out claims and the ease of their claims process. Little or no information however is provided on the company's website and more details about the insurance policy can only be gotten from the policy documents which is only available to policyholders.

You can insure up to £1M for building insurance, and Up to £99K for contents insurance. Dial Direct will provide up to £15K alternative accommodation in the case of damage
Home emergency, legal protection and keycare are available as optional extras.

Their services are recommended for people looking for reliable insurance services.

What does Dial 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 Dial 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 Dial 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.

Dial Direct buildings and contents insurance

Dial 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.

Good to know

If you buy your property and get a mortgage for this, you will be asked to provide valid buildings insurance. Buildings insurance is not mandatory, though. However, you must know that an average claim for repairing a burst pipe for example is £25 000.

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.

Good to know

House contents insurance is highly recommended (especially in case you get burgled or if you are renting a furnished flat) but is not mandatory.

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:

Dial Direct building insuranceLimits
Maximum sum insured

£1 000 000

Owner liability

£2 000 000

Alternative emergency accomodation

£15 000

Period of home's unoccupancy cover

60 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

Flood and storm damage (except for fences)

As standard

Dial Direct building insurance

Good to know

Limits mentioned above are part of the total sum you insured with your insurer when applying for home insurance (and not in addition to).

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

Contents insuranceLimits
Maximum sum insured

£99 000

Owner liability

£2 000 000

Alternative emergency accomodation

Only stated in policy document

Period of home's unoccupancy cover

60 days

Damage made by pets

Not covered

Contents kept in garden

£1 000

Contents kept in outbuildings (garage included)

Only stated in policy document

Thefts from outbuildings

£2 000

Single item limit for valuables

Only stated in policy document

Items temporarily removed from home

Only stated in policy document

Money in and outside the homeInside:

Only stated in policy document


Outside:

Only stated in policy document

Credit cards in and outside the homeInside:

£500


Outside:

£500

Business equipment kept at home

Only stated in policy document

Student equipment

Only stated in policy document

Keys cover

£500

Dial Direct contents insurance

Dial Direct home insurance additional cover

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

Home insurance additional cover
Accidental damage cover

Not stated

Home emergency
  • Optional extra
  • 24/7 emergency service
  • No call out charges
  • Up to £100 to cover labor, costs of materials and parts
  • A maximum of £250 per claim can be made for alternative accommodation costs
Boiler cover
  • Part of the home emergency assistance
  • Boiler repair is covered
Legal protection
  • Optional extra
  • Up to £50,000 for legal representation
  • 24/7 Legal Helpline
Personal possessions

Only stated in policy document

Mobile cover

Only stated in policy document

Bicycle cover

Only stated in policy document

Dial 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 claimsOnly stated in policy document
Excess for escape water claimsOnly stated in policy document
Excess for subsidence claimsOnly stated in policy document
Excess for personal possessionsOnly stated in policy document
Excess for keysOnly stated in policy document
Dial Direct home insurance main excess

Dial Direct home insurance fees and NCD

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

Fees applied to manage your Dial Directhouse policy
Interests on payment installmentsNot stated
To renew my policy£20
To adjust my policy£20
To duplicate documents£20
To cancel my policy during cooling-off period£35
To cancel my policy outside cooling-off period£35
For payment default£20
To switch from one insurer to Dial DirectNot covered
Home insurance fees at Dial Direct

How much does Dial Direct home insurance cost?

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

Building insuranceContents insurance
ExcessOnly stated in policy documentOnly stated in policy document
Home coverBuilding: £250 000
Contents: £20 000
Personal items: £4 000
Building: £500 000
Contents: £50 000
Personal items: £8 000
Premium£159,13£312,23
Home insurance quotes at Dial Direct

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

Dial 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.

Dial Direct home insurance discounts available

No discount available.

How do I a claim on Dial Direct home insurance?

Claims can be made by calling 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 Dial Direct home insurance?
Claim online

Claim form online

Claim by phone

0344 412 2143

How to claim on my home insurance at Dial Direct

Good to know

If you claim is related to a criminal incident (theft, fire etc), you must call the police upfront.

How can I cancel Dial Direct house insurance?

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

Cancelling your home insurance at Dial Direct
Cancellation notice if Dial Direct cancel your policy14 days
Cancellation feesFees during cooling-off period: £35
Fees outside cooling-off period: £35
Cancel online

Cancellations can be made on the online account.

How to cancel my Dial Direct home insurance

How to contact Dial Direct home insurance?

ServicesPhone numbersOpening hours
Claims

0344 412 2143

24/7

Complaints

0344 412 2133

Not Stated

How to contact Dial Direct home insurance

Dial Direct home insurance contact details

Dial Direct contact details
Dial Direct address

Dial Direct Insurance
Pegasus House,
Bakewell Road
Orton Southgate
Peterborough,
PE2 6YS.

Customer service email

Not available

Chatbot available

Not available

Dial Direct contact details

How do I log in to Dial Direct customer portal?

You can login to your account on the Homepage of the Dial Direct website. Click on the "Login/Register" option and enter your details.

How do I get Dial Direct home insurance quotes?

To get a quote online at Dial 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 Dial 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 Dial 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 Dial 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.
Did you like this article?
author-profile-picture/
Alexandre Desoutter
hellosafe-logo
hellosafe-logo

Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications.

In this sense, his role leads him to carry out steering and support work with all HelloSafe editors and contributors so that the editorial line defined by the company is fully respected. and declined through the texts published daily on our platforms.

As such, Alexandre is responsible for implementing and maintaining the strictest journalistic standards within the HelloSafe editorial staff, in order to guarantee the most accurate, up-to-date information on our platforms. and expert as possible. Alexandre has in particular undertaken for two years now the implementation of a system of systematic double-checking of all the articles published within the HelloSafe ecosystem, able to guarantee the highest quality of information.