Does my insurer require a monitored alarm?

Sometimes, and if they do, the requirement is usually specific — a stated system grade, a signalling configuration, professional installation and maintenance by an approved company, and often police or keyholder response. Check your policy wording, because an alarm that does not meet a stated condition can affect a claim.

Domestic policies often have no alarm requirement at all, or offer a discount for having one. Higher-value homes and commercial policies are much more likely to impose conditions, and to be precise about them.

Where conditions exist they are typically expressed as a specification: a minimum grade under BS EN 50131, a signalling category under EN 50136, installation and maintenance by an NSI- or SSAIB-approved company, and a defined response level. Some also require the alarm to be set whenever the premises are unoccupied — a condition that is easy to breach without realising.

Get the requirement from your insurer in writing before buying, and give it to whoever quotes. Specifying a system and then discovering it does not satisfy the policy is an expensive sequence.

If you are relying on an alarm for a premium discount, confirm what evidence the insurer needs — usually the installation certificate and a current maintenance contract.