How Much Does a Burglar Alarm Cost in the UK?
A basic burglar alarm in the UK typically starts at around £500 to £525 supply and fit for a bells-only system with two movement sensors and one door contact, wired or wireless. A smart alarm with app control starts at around £650. Most real homes need more sensors than that, so expect the price to climb with every extra room, door and floor, and add ongoing costs if you want the alarm monitored.
Those starting prices are UK market figures from Checkatrade's burglar alarm cost guide (last updated March 2026), not our prices. Your actual cost comes from a survey and a written quote.
Typical UK burglar alarm prices
From the same guide:
Bells-only wireless alarm: from about £525, with 2 sensors and 1 door contact.
Bells-only wired alarm: from about £500, with 2 sensors and 1 door contact.
Smart alarm system: from about £650, with 2 sensors, 1 door contact and a token.
Alarm technician: typically £60 to £80 per hour.
Installation time: usually one to two days.
A starter kit of two sensors and one door contact covers a flat or a very small house. A typical three-bedroom semi usually needs sensors in the hall, lounge and kitchen, contacts on the front and back doors, and perhaps a sensor on the landing, so the price rises from the starting point with each device.
Wired vs wireless: which costs less?
Wired and wireless start at similar prices, but they spend the money differently.
A wired alarm has cheaper devices but more labour. Cables run from every sensor back to the control panel, which means lifting floorboards or running cable through the loft. It is quickest and cheapest to fit during a rewire or renovation when floors are already up. Wired systems do not rely on detector batteries.
A wireless alarm has dearer devices but faster fitting. Each sensor talks to the panel by radio, so there is little disruption in a finished home. Each device has a battery that will need changing periodically.
If you are already having electrical work done, it is worth asking for alarm cabling at the same time, and our intruder alarm systems work can be planned alongside a rewire for that reason.
Bells-only vs monitored: the ongoing cost
The upfront price is only half the picture. How the alarm tells someone matters as much.
Bells-only (audible) alarm: sounds a siren and flashes a strobe. No monthly fees. The police guidance is clear this type does not get an automatic police response; someone at the scene has to call 999 and report a crime in progress.
Self-monitored smart alarm: sends alerts to your phone. You pay for the kit, and some systems charge a subscription for app features or cloud video. You still decide what to do.
Keyholder monitoring: the alarm signals an alarm receiving centre, which calls your nominated keyholders. This comes with an ongoing monitoring contract.
Police response monitoring: as above, but the alarm receiving centre can also pass verified alarms to the police. This has the strictest requirements and the highest running cost.
For police response, the system must meet the National Police Chiefs' Council requirements: installed and maintained by a company certified by a UKAS-accredited certification body, monitored by a compliant alarm receiving centre, and registered with the local force for a unique reference number (URN). The police charge a URN registration fee, £58.90 plus VAT (£70.68 including VAT) from 1 April 2026. Ask whether it is included in your quote.
Police response is not guaranteed forever either. Under the current requirements, three false calls in a rolling 12 months leads to police response being withdrawn, and getting it back means fixing the cause and, normally, a clear period with no false alarms. We explain the different levels in our guide to intruder alarm grades and monitoring.
What drives the price up
Number of devices. Every extra movement sensor, door contact or external siren adds equipment and fitting time.
The security grade. A higher-grade system uses more secure equipment and costs more. The police-backed Secured by Design alarm standard sets Grade 2 as its minimum, and insurers can ask for more on high-value homes and businesses.
Signalling. A system that sends signals to a monitoring centre needs a communicator, and dual-path signalling (two routes, such as broadband and mobile) costs more than one.
Outbuildings. Garages, sheds and workshops each need coverage, often with longer cable runs or radio extenders.
Smart features. App control, cameras and integration with lighting add cost.
Ongoing costs to budget for
Servicing: Checkatrade puts a typical burglar alarm service at around £90, taking one to three hours, though that figure dates from May 2024, so allow for price changes since. Monitoring contracts and some insurance policies make regular servicing a condition, so check yours.
Batteries: wireless sensors, sirens and the panel's standby battery all need replacing over time.
Monitoring fees: monthly or annual for keyholder or police response.
URN fee: for police response, paid when the system is registered.
The police guidance also warns against long monitoring contracts that demand payment upfront. Read the terms before you sign.
What is usually not included?
Check whether the quote covers making good after cables are run, decorating, extra sensors for outbuildings, the URN fee, and the first year's monitoring. A quote that looks cheap on the kit may be recovering its money on a long contract.
Burglar alarm cost questions, answered
Is a DIY alarm kit worth it?
DIY kits are much cheaper, and they work for some people. The police guidance does not recommend them, though, because the system may not be designed for your property's risks and problems may only show up after a break-in. A DIY kit will not get police response.
Can a noisy alarm cost me money?
It can, in England. In an alarm notification area, the council can fine you if you have not given them a keyholder's details. If an alarm has been sounding for 20 minutes continuously, or an hour on and off, is likely to annoy people nearby and the council has tried to reach the keyholder, it can enter to silence it without a warrant as long as no force is needed, according to gov.uk guidance on noise nuisance. A well-set-up alarm avoids all of that.
Should I add CCTV at the same time?
Cameras and alarms work well together: the alarm deters and raises the alert, and the cameras show what happened. Fitting them together can save on labour, and CCTV and alarm systems can often be viewed from the same app.
Will an alarm lower my insurance?
Some insurers offer a discount for a professionally installed alarm, and some high-value policies require a specific grade or monitoring. Check with your insurer before you choose a system, and ask for their requirement in writing.
Getting a clear quote
SM Electrical installs wired and wireless intruder alarms for homes and businesses across Shifnal, Telford, Wolverhampton and the West Midlands. We survey the property, recommend the grade and signalling that suit it, and give one written price. Contact us to arrange a visit.
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