insurance claim intruder alarm

When insurance claims go wrong: Intruder alarms

Prevention is better than cure and preventing or limiting burglaries at your business or home with an intruder alarm is far better than having to make an insurance claim. However, claims do occur and on rare occasions the insurance company will dispute payment due to non-compliance with intruder alarm conditions.

So what can you do to ensure that your cover is not at risk:

  • If your insurance policy is provided on the understanding that you have an alarm, make sure that you have given the correct specification of your alarm; for example, a Redcare alarm is different to a Redcare GSM alarm.
  • If police response is removed (perhaps through excessive number of false alarms), you must inform your insurer immediately
  • Failing to set your system correctly and fully could void cover; worth bearing in mind that this could be due to faulty equipment you haven’t maintained
  • Keep security codes confidential, remove keys from the premises and inform your insurer if a key is lost
  • You must not let your alarm maintenance contract lapse
  • If you change your premises or your alarm system you must ensure the alarm still meets the standard agreed with your insurer.
  • Make sure you keep your alarm company aware of who the current keyholders are and make sure the keyholders are contactable – if a keyholder is away for whatever reason, ensure there is someone to cover.

Duncan Sutcliffe, director, Sutcliffe & Co, added: “We advise you to check your policy to make sure that you are compliant with the alarm conditions and remember to advise your insurer of any changes.”