Review: Churchill Home Insurance
By Phoebe McCrostie 
In Summary
It might be more famous for its dog mascot than anything else, but Churchill’s insurance is also quite popular. It has offered home cover for the past 25 years, giving policyholders the option to supplement basic cover with a number of additional extras.
The policy has received mixed reviews from customers, but scores strongly with industry experts.
You can get a quote for Churchill home insurance here.
Background to Churchill insurance
Churchill is part of the Direct Line Group and its policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, the same company as those for Direct Line.
Although it started as a car insurance provider, Churchill has diversified into several insurance categories, first launching home cover in 1990. Since the early 2000s it has been one of the largest general insurers in the UK, and has received widespread recognition for its mascot, the Churchill dog.
It also offers travel and pet insurance.
Churchill’s motto is ‘your dependable friend’ – a slogan that inspired the use of a dog in its marketing activity.
Overview of the cover provided by Churchill home policies
Churchill offers a standard home insurance policy with buildings cover up to £1,000,000 and contents cover up to £50,000. Both types of cover are also available separately.
General policy benefits include up to £1,000 landscaping/plant cover, a 12-month guarantee on building works carried out by a Churchill-approved repairer, alternative accommodation in the event your house becomes uninhabitable, and a 24/7 helpline. Cyclists can insure bikes worth up to £500 as standard.
You can get a quote from Churchill here.
From here, policyholders can select from a number of optional extras, to increase the comprehensiveness of their cover. These options include:
- Accidental damage – covering both damage to buildings and contents, although wear and tear is not included within this policy feature
- Personal possessions – in addition to providing protection in the event of loss, damage or theft, this extra will cover possessions such as technology devices, jewellery and bicycles away from the home. It’s worth noting, though, that only bicycles up to £500 are insured under the policy; any bikes worth more will need to be insured separately
- Home emergency – in the event of a home disaster, like a heating failure, plumbing or drainage problem, security breach or pest infestation, Churchill will arrange emergency repairs up to the value of £500
- Family legal protection – for an additional £25.44 per year (including premium tax) Churchill covers up to £100,000 of legal costs for some of those arguments.
How much does home insurance from Churchill cost?
The exact price of your policy will depend on several factors – including the age of your home, its condition, location, and the value of contents you wish to insure.
Naturally, the more additional extras you select, the higher the premium is likely to rise; as stated above, for example, family legal protection starts at £25.44 a year. However, it is advisable to make sure you take out adequate cover, even if it’s not the cheapest option, to avoid finding yourself without home insurance protection in the event of a claim.
According to Churchill, 20% of its customers paid £98 or less for combined cover policies between 7 October 2016 and 7 April 2017. That does not include any optional extras and excludes Home Plus policies.
To get an accurate home insurance quote, the best route is to contact Churchill directly, and discuss policy options and budgets. You can get an online quote for Churchill home insurance here.
What Churchill home insurance customers say
Online review website Review Centre gives Churchill a 1.5/5 star rating for its home insurance, with only 15% of customers recommending its services. Feedback includes ‘the cover was quite expensive, and found it impossible to cancel the policy’, ‘will find any excuse not to pay you’, and ‘feel like I have to jump through hoops’.
You can check out our guide to the Top 10 Home Insurance providers here.
However, fellow review website Money.co.uk is more complimentary, awarding Churchill home insurance 3.8/5 stars. This website gives more positive commentary, with reviews including ‘good cover when I needed it’, ‘does what it says in the tin’, and ‘Churchill offer excellent service, but cheaper policies are available elsewhere’.
What the expert reviews say
Which?, the independent review organisation, rates Churchill home insurance at 66% - placing it 17th out of 39 insurance providers.
Financial product rating company Defaqto gives Churchill 5 stars for its home insurance policy, the maximum possible score, making it 'an excellent product with a comprehensive range of features and benefits.'
Interested? Get a quote for Churchill home insurance here. Oh, and no article about Churchill would be complete without the dog itself:
