Burglar/Intruder Alarm advice

[Applespider]

I was burgled recently (first time) and my insurance company (UK) are insisting on me fitting an alarm to the property before they will renew the policy. I need to have one in place before 17 Feb. In addition, it needs to have a yearly maintenance contract in place.

I live in London in a one-bedroom first floor flat (that's one floor up for the US folks) - and looking online, many of the systems advertised seem to be suitable for much larger properties so I don't want to end up paying for redundant sensors etc.

I'm also wondering about the monitored systems which for £25 a month or so will monitor your alarms and call you and/or the police if the alarms trigger. These apparently now work for smoke too which, living in an older house with other flats, might be attractive. These seem to have a lower up-front cost but then have 3 year monthly contracts.

Anyone got any experience with getting alarms fitted? Or with whether the monitoring options are any good? I've read some reports which suggest that the police may only turn up within the hour by which time the burglar would presumably have legged it with my stuff (again). Unfortunately, given the requirement for yearly servicing, I'm guessing that a DIY job won't pass muster with the insurance bods.

 

[PlaceofDis]

i don't know what companies operate out there, but here at my place of work we have ADT installed. its a monitored system, so monthly fee and all that.

the good thing is if the alarm is triggered they take care of notifying those that need it. ie the police and you. asap. so i think it'd be a bit silly to have an alarm where no notification was sent since its just going to be a noise maker, imo.

 

[mactastic]

Kinda depends on what you're looking for, I'd say. If you're looking for something that meets the insurance requirements and aren't primarily concerned with safety or protecting your valuables, just call around and find the cheapest quote you can.

If you're worried about your person and your possessions, then I'd suggest getting quotes from multiple sources and see what they offer. Yearly maintanence doesn't have to mean a monthly monitoring fee though; you can certainly set up an annual maintenance check with the installing company.

Unfortunately, as with most insurance requirements, DIY is probably a no-no. Unless you happen to be a licensed alarm installer, in which case you would know exactly what you needed anyway!

 

[Applespider]

If the monitoring is worthwhile, with speedy responses by police/fire brigade, then I might consider it. I'm calling my insurance company tomorrow to find out if doing that option might reduce my premium rather than just having a bells only alarm.

If the service is of the 'might turn up in an hour' type service then I see little point. And probably better getting one that calls me or one of my neighbours to ask them to stick their head out of the window and have a look.

ADT seem to be the main people over here too. There's another one, Sector Alarm, who are a Scandinavian company who have been in the UK for a few years who seem good value and their website suggests good customer service principles but I haven't heard as much about.

 

[ErikCLDR]

Not really worth it. We have the system and I think it's pointless.

1) Cost a lot to be installed
2) Costs a lot for the service considering what it is
3) Yea the alarm will call the police but depending on where you live, it's going to take time for the police to come
4) Mine has randomly just gone off and the police dept gets pissed

 

[MacNut]

Even just something that just sounds would be enough to scare a burglar away. I would get something with monitoring tho. Most alarms are set off by motion sensors. But they have to get in the door first. So just get something for the windows and doors.

 

[prostuff1]

I live in the states so it might be a little bit different over there, but I have an ADT system.

There is a monthly fee with it as it is monitored but i don't mind it, it gives me a little more piece of mind. It has actually come in handy once since i moved into my house about 4 months ago. Some kids thought there would be smart and try to break into the house after i had moved in. A lot of my stuff was still in boxes and labeled so it seemed like an easy target. They pushed the garage door up (it was broken at the time, the automatic opener did not work) and actually tried to enter via the door in the garage that was not locked. They open the door and the alarm started to beep. I guess they actually tried to shut it off and then ran for it when they could not figure it out. I got a call from ADT about the alarm going off and i got back to the house right after the cops did. A neighbor gave a description of t he kids (2) but they were never caught.

If you don't mind paying a little money i say go with the ADT monitored type setup.

 

[chrmjenkins]

*snip*

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