Unmonitored alarm systems

An unmonitored system is the simplest and most cost-effective way to offer protection from burglars. All you have pay for is the alarm and its installation.

The most common type of system uses a control panel to monitor zones in the home: when a door or window is opened, a bell or siren sounds and rings incessantly until it’s switched off.

Such a system solely relies on that noise to scare off any would-be thieves and/or attract the attention of a neighbour or passer-by to call the householder or police before too much damage can be done or anything is stolen, and to silence the alarm.

Although owners of domestic intruder systems do not have any legal responsibilities, legislation says that alarms should not ring continuously for more than 20 minutes. Non-compliance could result in council environmental health officers entering a home to silence its alarm and/or issuing a fine for noise pollution.

In addition, because of the large number of false call-outs, the police will only respond to an audible alarm if suspicious activity is also confirmed, eg a neighbour saying that they heard a door being kicked in or saw somebody prowling around the property.

These points suggest that it’s probably wise to invest in a professional maintenance contract to help avoid false alarms and to stay on good terms with your neighbours, whose speedy action you may need to rely upon in the event of a genuine break-in.