‘I wouldn't be without my alarm. If it goes off it sends a text to my and my partner’s phone. If someone is actually in the home then we get another text when they activate another room’s sensor to confirm an intruder. My partner and her girls love the sense of security that they can come home in the knowledge that nobody is in the house who shouldn't be.’
Home Owner, Norwich (Source: moneysavingexpert.com forum 2011)

Although a recent British Crime Survey showed that the number of domestic burglaries in England and Wales has fallen dramatically in recent years, that downward trend is likely to be reversed as the UK economy continues into recession. Indeed government officials predict that the economic slowdown will lead to ‘upward pressure’ on levels of property crime.

Choosing Home Burglar Alarms

When choosing home burglar alarms for your budget, there are many different systems available. Essentially, it comes down to a choice between an audible-only alarm, which sounds a bell or siren when it is triggered, and a monitored alarm with or without a speech dialer. The audible-only alarm may deter intruders and alert your neighbours when it goes off, but on its own won't generate a police response.

With monitored home burglar alarms, you pay extra to have your system connected via a telephone line or signal network to a control center which usually will monitor signals received from alarms 24 hours a day. When a detector is triggered and a signal is sent to the control center, someone there will phone the property for password identification and to check that everything is OK. If the password ID is not given, or the phone is not picked up, then a nominated keyholder and/or the police are notified. Monitored home burglar alarms will incur monthly or annual service charges on top of the installation costs.

A speech dialer is a cheaper alternative to a monitored system for house burglar alarms. This is a device that can be connected to an alarm, or may already be built into the control panel. If there is a break-in, the speech dialer automatically calls the phone numbers that have been programmed in and leaves a pre-recorded message.

Having your system linked to the police is a good idea because many police forces won't respond to a bell-only alarm, unless there is also first-hand evidence of a crime being committed. However, because of the problem of false alarms, the police will usually only go out to your home if two detection devices (such as sensors) are activated in sequence. If only one is triggered, just the keyholder will be contacted.

The cost of a home burglar alarm system can vary depending on many factors including the size of the property and the level of safety coverage that you are aiming for.

DIY burglar alarms for homes

You can pick up reasonably inexpensive DIY burglar alarms for homes from the high street. These include an external box, a control panel and movement detectors.

Monitored burglar alarms for homes

Or, at the other end of the spectrum, monitored domestic burglar alarms can be installed by professional fitters. These include a control panel linked to the police, several infrared movement sensors and shock detectors, remote controls and alarm boxes. They are linked to a central station that will alert the homeowner or the police if there is an activation. Some insurance companies offer a refund if you have a professional installed and industry approved burglar alarm at your home.

There are also lots of options in between - it depends on how much you want to spend.

‘Which?’ magazine recently contained a report on home burglar alarms. Its researchers called 281 companies to get a price for installing and maintaining a wired alarm system for a three-bedroom semi-detached house. The average figure quoted for installation in London and the south-east was around £590, plus around £150 a year for a combined maintenance and monitoring contract.

Most insurance companies offer a discount of between 2% and 15% on the cost of home contents insurance if you have a burglar alarm, according to ‘Which?’ However, as The Association of British Insurers correctly points out, ‘If you are considering installing a burglar alarm in your home, get advice from your insurer before buying one,’ and adds ‘Most alarms only warn that someone has already broken in. Your first priority is to stop them getting in at all.’

Find out more about our burglar alarms

Spy Alarms have been installing home burglar alarms for over [spy-age] years. Martin Foster set up the company after his own home was burgled. He is passionate about home security and getting the right equipment to keep your home safe.