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Do you know anyone that has a door but doesn’t bother shutting it when they leave the house? Of course you don’t but we bet you know people who have a burglar alarm but don’t bother to set it. You might even do that yourself. It doesn’t make any less sense than shutting and locking the door when you leave the house and yet many people are missing out on the full protection they should have from something that’s already in place.
There are usually a number of common reasons for this – not fully understanding how to operate the system, alarm doesn’t work properly, lots of people coming and going, pets in the house, an inherited system and plain old laziness etc. All understandable, if not logical!
After your door and window locks, your alarm is your best defence against an intruder. This applies to when you leave the house and on a night when you’re asleep. Having an alarm bell box on the house may deter some would-be intruders from attempting a break in but why take the chance? All too often it takes an incident to highlight the importance and value of making full use of your alarm. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
There are also insurance implications. If you’ve stated that you have a burglar alarm on your home insurance then have a break in at a time when the alarm should have been set (but wasn’t) then this could potentially invalidate your cover. Because of the technology available on alarms these days it’s very easy for them to determine whether it was activated at the time. If you haven’t told your insurer about the alarm then you could be missing an opportunity to save some money as this could potentially lower your premiums – as long as you start using it properly of course.
Getting to grips with your alarm
You wouldn’t walk to the supermarket if you had a car and you wouldn’t write a report out by hand if you had a computer so you know it makes sense to use the resources you have available to you. If you’re now thinking it would be a good idea to make proper use of your alarm then what do you need to do? That depends on the reasons behind not using it really; if it’s laziness or forgetfulness that are the issues why not stick a reminder to the door or on your key ring that prompts you every time you leave the house. You’ll find that it soon becomes habit.
If it’s a case of an issue with the alarm itself; perhaps it’s not working properly or you’re not quite sure how to set it; then the best thing would be to get it serviced. It’s certainly a good idea to do so if it’s not been used for quite a while. A service will not only resolve any problems, it will make sure it’s working to full capacity. If you’re not sure how to use it then your engineer will be able to give you instructions on how to operate it properly. Remember, there’s more to an alarm than just setting it when you leave the house: get your engineer to show you how to set all the zones properly eg for when you’re in bed (just downstairs sensors) or if you have pets roaming around the house (just doors and windows). You’ll find that your system has flexibility for lots of scenarios and it’s actually not that complicated.
A service is always a good idea anyway. Batteries need to be replaced periodically and failing to do so can mean at best the alarm goes off every time there’s a power cut or at worse could lead to the unit overheating which could be a risk to safety. A service will also detect potential issues and fix them before they become bigger, more expensive, problems. We’d always recommend an annual service.
Not using your alarm is fine until you have a break in – do you want to be the one kicking yourself knowing it could potentially have been prevented? – so why not make use the technology you already have to protect yourself and your family. To book a service in or just get some advice about your system call us on 01924 371941 or use our contact page.