Monitored alarms protect homes and businesses throughout the year, but are especially useful during holiday season. Summer is a time when many people travel and leave their homes unoccupied. This can be a great opportunity for burglars, as these houses are often left unattended. A monitored alarm not only deters criminals, it triggers an alert if there is a break in.

It’s always important to secure your property, but when you’re away for an extended period it’s even more crucial to protect your home. Returning from your holiday to a burgled home is the stuff of nightmares. Security measures can deter criminals and, if a thief were to attempt to break in, a security alarm system would alert neighbours and send the criminal scarpering. A monitored alarm goes one step further to alert you to what’s occurring.

Monitoring

Protect your home with a monitored alarm system. This will alert you if someone attempts to break in. If you already have an alarm in your home that doesn’t have monitoring, you could upgrade and add on monitoring with minimal disruption. There are a number of options when it comes to intruder alarm monitoring.

One popular option is a smart alarm system, which can be managed and monitored via an app. This type of system will send an instant notification to your phone if your alarm goes off. It will also alert your to the alarm system being set or unset by anyone going in to check your home for you.

Another type of monitoring is “keyholder” monitoring, which alerts you to an activation with a phone call. You can nominate yourself, friends or neighbours to a list of “keyholders” who are contacted should your alarm activate.

Finally a police monitored alarm can trigger a police response to an intruder alarm activation. This is sometimes a requirement of insurers depending on what you keep on the premises. Police monitored panic buttons can be installed alongside intruder alarms. Only approved installers can provide this type of monitoring, so if you’re considering a police monitored intruder alarm, look for NSI or SSAIB approved companies.

Neighbours

Be sure to tell your neighbours that you are going away on holiday. It’s a good idea to check on your property. You could also ask a neighbour, friend or family member to be a keyholder. This way they could respond to any activation whilst you are away. Keyholders can be temporarily altered during your holiday if needed. Always choose someone you can trust to deal with an emergency situation, and make sure you inform your security provider in advance.

For more information on monitored intruder alarms visit our dedicated home security page, or book a free home security survey.