HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire a burglar alarm installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Installing an alarm is not licensable; key holding and response are. The checks, the questions about monitoring and contracts, and what to be handed.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a burglar alarm installer in five steps

  1. Decide bells-only or monitoredA local siren, app alerts, or a monitoring centre with keyholder or police response.
  2. Check what your insurer wantsSome policies set conditions on the alarm and who installs it; read yours first.
  3. Get the system specifiedPanel, sensors per room, door contacts, siren, wired or wireless.
  4. Read the contract termsMonitoring and maintenance fees, minimum term and notice period.
  5. Ask about an SIA licence for key holdingOnly if they will hold keys or attend call-outs.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Installing or servicing a burglar alarm is not on the list of licensable activities in Schedule 2 to the Private Security Industry Act 2001, so no licence or register applies to alarm installers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Check insurance, the written specification and reviews from booked jobs instead. legislation.gov.uk →

Key holding and response: SIA licence

A business that keeps your keys and responds to alarm call-outs as a security service needs an SIA key-holding licence, or a front-line guarding licence if it guards on arrival; holding a key only to get in for non-security work is outside the licence.

If the alarm installation includes key holding or response, check the licence on the SIA register by number or by surname, date of birth and role. gov.uk →

Wiring: minor electrical work

The Welsh Government lists extra-low voltage cabling for burglar alarm systems as minor work that need not be notified under the Building Regulations; connecting the panel to the mains is a small alteration that should still be tested and certified.

Ask for a Minor Works Certificate for the mains connection to the alarm panel. gov.wales →

Insurance and trader status

A trader quoting for the alarm installation should have public liability insurance and tell you who provides it. That trader status is what gives you rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and for a home or online booking a 14-day cancellation window under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — which does not cover goods made to your specification, and leaves you paying for work you asked to start early.

See the insurance certificate before you confirm the alarm installation; the Locufy profile shows the trader and ID-checked badges.

VAT

Expect 20% VAT, the standard rate, on fitting a burglar alarm and the monitoring contract that follows: a business above the £90,000 registration threshold is required to charge it and to show it separately from the labour and materials.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on both the installation price and the monitoring contract. gov.uk →

“Is this a bells-only alarm or a monitored one?”

A good answer: The difference explained: a siren and app alerts, or a monitoring centre that calls keyholders or arranges a response, with the monthly fee.

“Will you hold keys or respond to the alarm?”

A good answer: If yes, an SIA licence for key holding or guarding you can check; if no, who responds.

“What does my insurer require?”

A good answer: An installer who asks to see your policy's alarm conditions before specifying the system.

“Wired or wireless sensors?”

A good answer: Pros and cons for your home, battery-change intervals for wireless, and the price of each.

“Which rooms and doors are covered?”

A good answer: A written list of sensors and contacts by position.

“What are the maintenance and monitoring terms?”

A good answer: Annual service cost, contract length, notice period and what happens if you move.

“Will the alarm panel's mains connection be certified?”

A good answer: A Minor Works Certificate for the fused spur or connection.

Getting the quote right

  • Panel, keypad, sensors and contacts listed by position
  • Wired or wireless, and the siren type
  • Monitoring or maintenance fees and contract length stated separately
  • Mains connection and certification
  • Who actually attends — the engineer fitting the panel and sensors, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Long monitoring contract with no notice period stated
  • Claims to hold keys and respond but has no SIA licence
  • No written list of sensors
  • Pressure to sign on the doorstep
  • Ignores your insurer's alarm conditions
LOW
£300
TYPICAL
£750
HIGH
£1,500

What a burglar alarm installer costs: £300–£1,500 per install

Burglar alarms are quoted per installation by the number of sensors and whether they are wired or wireless; monitoring and maintenance are monthly or yearly fees on top. Burglar Alarm Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Burglar alarm installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyEntry points, rooms and your insurer's conditions reviewed.
  2. SpecifySensors, contacts, panel and siren agreed in writing.
  3. InstallCabling or wireless devices fitted; panel connected to the mains.
  4. TestEach device walk-tested, siren tested, mains connection tested.
  5. Hand overCodes set, how to arm and disarm shown, paperwork handed over.

Bells-only
An alarm that sounds locally without monitoring.
Monitored alarm
An alarm connected to a centre that acts when it triggers.
PIR sensor
A motion sensor that detects body heat.
Door contact
A magnetic sensor that triggers when a door opens.
Key holding
Holding keys and attending call-outs as a security service; SIA-licensable.
Fused spur
The switched, fused outlet feeding the alarm panel.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkSystem specification, codes changed from defaults, any Minor Works Certificate, and the contract.
Test every sensorWalk-test each sensor and door contact with the installer.
Tell your insurerWith the specification if your policy asks for it.
Leave the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the alarm installation falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the installer in writingDescribe the fault with the alarm installation, with photos, and say what would put it right. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 expects a trader to use reasonable care and skill; where that fell short you may require the work to be done again, or a lower price.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the alarm installation under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unlicensed security work or a trading disputeUnlicensed key holding, guarding or monitoring linked to the alarm installation is for the Security Industry Authority. For a dispute about the alarm installation with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the alarm installation is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a burglar alarm installer: questions people ask

No. Installing alarms is not licensable under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, anywhere in the UK. An SIA licence is needed only for licensable work such as key holding or guarding.

A business that keeps your keys and attends call-outs as a security service needs an SIA key-holding licence, or a guarding licence if it guards on arrival.

£300–£1,500 an installation, typically around £750. Bells-only is cheapest; more sensors, hard wiring and monitoring cost more. Read the Burglar Alarm Installation price guide for what is in and out of the price, and use the postcode search above to find local burglar alarm installers.

The Welsh Government lists extra-low voltage alarm cabling as minor work that need not be notified; the mains connection should still be tested and certified.

Some insurers offer terms for an alarm meeting their conditions; check your policy before choosing the system.

A Minor Works Certificate for the panel's mains connection, and the system specification.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: CCTV InstallationHow to hire: Smoke & Heat Alarm InstallationHow to hire: Outdoor & Garden LightingHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Data & Network CablingHow to hire: Carbon Monoxide AlarmHow to hire: Socket & Switch InstallationHow to hire: Lighting InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Burglar alarm installers near you

Burglar alarm installers in LondonBurglar alarm installers in ManchesterBurglar alarm installers in BirminghamBurglar alarm installers in GlasgowBurglar alarm installers in BelfastAll burglar alarm installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Private Security Industry Act 2001, Schedule 2 — the licensable activities
  2. gov.uk — find out if you need an SIA licence
  3. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  10. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  11. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  12. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  13. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  14. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register