alarm and home insurance??

bazbrady

Just a quick for you guys i have heard recently that certain home insurance companies are not paying out on house burglary if the alarm is not serviced by an approved PSA person and has not got a en 50131 cert,just wondering what the legislation says ,do house alarms have to be serviced yearly .this incident happened to a work colleague and im interested to find out if its becoming common place as a result from this several people in work have now not added an alarm on their policy only works out about 40ish euro dearer instead of getting a yearly service which i believe would cost more.interested in peoples take on this and comments.cheers..

KoolKid

Its really down to what's on your policy. If you policy states you have an alarm system up to EN50131 standard then it must be serviced regularly.
In these tough times we are hearing of cases where claims are being stopped or challenged on this . Basically the insurance company will say they are giving you a discount on the basis that your alarm is up to this standard, but the system is not being maintained to that standard.
Any system that is certified to EN50131 must be maintained by a PSA licensed company to maintain that standard.

bazbrady

cheers koolkid just taught id share it as its a very interesting developement ,a wise man once told me insurance companies will do everything in their power not to pay out while just about staying within the law...as bad as the banks nearly...the interesting point is my work friend is a maintenance tech like myself and the alarm was working fine no issues went off and txt him and also his neighbour who went in but they had all ready made off with tools and money etc...so a word to the wise read the small print on your insurance policy booklet...

KoolKid

If you can get a discount for alarm & monitoring without mentioning EN50131 then take it. The extra discount is not worth it . Its less than what you will pay for the service ,plus your giving them a big out.

TPM

I have heard rumors about insurance companies for a while now, the not paying out without annual service and cert was one.
*having to notify them if it is not working and getting it repaired within 5 days or cover lapses
*no theft cover if you dont turn it on
there was something else but cant remember it now.

I told the insurance company I dont have a house alarm despite having quite a good one. The discount is less than the service cost let alone the additional risks involved.

Untill the discount is much greater than the service cost I wont even consider claiming it

KoolKid

You can claim numerous discounts for an alarm system without stating EN50131.

TPM

KoolKid wrote: »

You can claim numerous discounts for an alarm system without stating EN50131.

True
Alot comes down to the small print from the insurance company and the individual policy though

nexlar

I have also heard about it that insurance companies for a while now, the not paying out without annual service and cert was one. I don't know it is true or not.