BUYING motor insurance directly on the telephone has become commonplace in recent years, with several direct insurers now on the market. Home and contents insurance is another matter, and the majority of home-owners buy their cover either from a broker or, more commonly, from their lender, who is an agent of the insurer, when they buy their house.

it is nearly 10 years since home-owners were permitted to shop around for home insurance, yet according to research by Lansdowne Market Research, only two out of five home purchasers know they do not have to buy their insurance from their lender. Guardian Direct, the newest entrant to the direct insurance market, is putting a positive spin on this data and says the number of people shopping for quotes doubled last year from the previous year. A good sign of increased consumer awareness.

Aside from the convenience of being able to buy this insurance over the telephone, Guardian Direct - like many other insurers - is offering an option of insuring the house contents for half the house value. This should help to protect homeowners from under-insuring their contents, it says.

There are also the usual discounts available for having proper locks installed and for burglar and fire alarms, but this product also offers a few new extras including up to £1,500 cover for a fire brigade call out, up to £300 cover for the contents of your garden and £10-a-day payment, up to a maximum £300 for policyholders who must undertake jury duty.

Premiums vary depending on whether you live in a major city like Dublin or Cork or in a provincial town or rural area, but Guardian Direct insists its lower-cost structure means their premiums are 30 per cent cheaper on average. Nevertheless, home-owners are still advised to shop around.