Security Systems
Burglar alarm servicing and repair in Kent
Annual servicing, fault finding and repair for intruder alarms across Kent, including systems installed by somebody else. A neglected alarm fails in one specific way: silently, and only when you need it. Servicing exists to catch that before it is proved.
- Free estimates
- Insurance work undertaken
- Domestic & commercial
How often an alarm should actually be serviced
Once insurance or monitoring is attached to a system, how often it is serviced stops being a preference and becomes a condition. Under the intruder alarm standards, a Grade 2 system of the kind fitted to most homes needs one maintenance visit a year. Systems connected to an alarm receiving centre, and anything holding a police response, are generally on two visits a year, one of which can often be done remotely where the equipment supports it.
Higher risk and higher value commercial sites sit at the heavier end of that, particularly where the system was graded to satisfy a specific insurance requirement. Letting maintenance lapse on those is the expensive mistake, because the cover the alarm was installed to support can quietly stop applying.
The fault that catches almost everybody
It is the standby battery. It is the single most common thing put right on a maintenance visit, far more often than any sensor or wiring problem, and it is close to invisible from the keypad until it is too late.
A battery that can no longer hold charge means the system dies the moment the mains supply drops, which tends to be precisely when somebody has cut the power. The panel will happily show a healthy system right up to that point. The only way to know is to measure it under load, which is a two minute check that nobody does themselves.
What alarm grades mean, in plain terms
The intruder alarm standards define four grades, and the grade describes how much determination the system is built to resist rather than how many bells and whistles it has.
- Grade 1, low risk, rarely specified for anything anyone cares about
- Grade 2, the normal domestic and small commercial grade, and what most home insurers expect
- Grade 3, for higher risk properties and where an insurer names it, resisting an intruder with some knowledge of alarm systems
- Grade 4, high risk and specialist, and not something a typical house or shop needs
Servicing systems we did not install
We service alarms of any make, including older panels and mixed setups where two or three installers have each added to what was there. It is a large part of this work, because alarm companies come and go and panels routinely outlive the firm that fitted them.
The usual finding is that the hardware is serviceable and the system has simply never been maintained: a tired battery, a sensor that has been covered by a wardrobe since somebody rearranged a bedroom, and a panel programmed for a household that moved out years ago. That is a service, not a replacement, and we would rather tell you so.
Signs it needs looking at before the next service
Do not wait for the scheduled visit if any of these apply.
- The panel is showing a fault or a battery warning
- The siren has sounded with no apparent cause, or fails to sound on test
- Zones drop out, or the system refuses to set without omitting something
- The keypad is slow, unresponsive or has gone blank
- There has been building work, a power surge or a lightning storm since it was last checked
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does an alarm service cost?
It depends on the size of the system, how many devices there are and whether it is a make we can get parts for readily. A standard domestic annual service on a typical panel is a straightforward visit; a large commercial system with many zones takes longer and is priced accordingly. We will confirm the cost before attending rather than turning up and presenting a bill, and looking at the system to quote is free.
Will you service an alarm fitted by another company?
Yes, any make, including panels the original installer no longer supports. Bring any documentation and engineer codes you have, which makes it quicker, but their absence is not usually a blocker. Where a panel is genuinely obsolete and parts no longer exist we will tell you that plainly, and where it is perfectly good and just neglected, which is more common, we will service it and leave it alone.
Does servicing affect my insurance?
It can, and this is the part worth reading your policy on. Where a policy requires an alarm as a condition of cover, it very often also requires that alarm to be maintained for a theft claim to be valid. Skipping the service to save money can quietly undermine the cover the alarm was installed to support. The requirement is usually written plainly in the policy wording, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
What grade of alarm does my property need?
If your insurer names a grade, that is your answer and the system has to meet it. If nobody has named one, Grade 2 is the normal specification for a house or a small commercial unit, and Grade 3 comes in where the risk or the value is higher. We will tell you what your property genuinely needs, including when that is a lower grade than you were expecting, because specifying up costs you money without adding protection you will use.
Do you offer monitored alarms with police response?
Police response requires an alarm receiving centre and an installer holding the relevant industry accreditation, so it is not something we would claim without being straight about the requirements. If a monitored system with police response is what you need, ask us and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right firm for that particular job. For everything else, including audible systems with alerts to your phone, we install and maintain across Kent.
Free estimates
Want a free estimate in Kent?
No up-selling, just simple honest advice. Domestic and commercial work across Aylesford, Maidstone, Medway, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Dartford, Bromley.