Service contracts, firmware updates, fault diagnosis, and repairs. Keep your system reliable and your insurance valid.
A security system is only as good as it was the last time someone checked it. NVR hard drives wear out after a few years of continuous recording, sensor batteries lose capacity, firmware accumulates known vulnerabilities, and the features that depend on software need occasional re-commissioning. A maintenance contract turns those reactive call-outs into a planned visit (or two) per year. That's cheaper, less disruptive, and usually a hard requirement for insurance on graded alarm systems.
The installers in this directory offer maintenance on CCTV, alarm, access control, and intercom systems. You don't need to use the original installer. Most will quote to take over an existing system, audit its current state, and put it on a service contract going forward.
Three situations where a maintenance contract pays for itself.
Most commercial policies (and many home policies on properties with significant cover) require an annual service visit on a graded alarm system. A maintenance contract gives you the certificate the insurer wants and a paper trail of the work.
Hard drives, sensor batteries, and intercom outdoor stations all degrade. Catch the failures during a planned visit rather than the morning you discover footage isn\'t recording.
For warehouses, retail, schools, and care homes the security system is operationally critical. SLA-backed maintenance with guaranteed response times is the difference between a brief outage and a serious one.
Five line items worth checking before you sign.
One or two scheduled visits a year is normal. The contract should specify what the engineer checks (sensor function, battery health, recording quality, software updates, etc.) and produce a written report each time.
When the system fails, how quickly does someone arrive? Typical SLAs are next-business-day for non-critical and 4–8 hours for critical commercial sites. Make sure the SLA is in writing and includes a remedy if it\'s missed.
CCTV and access-control firmware regularly receives security patches. A maintenance contract should explicitly include applying those updates, not just "leave the system as we found it".
Labour is almost always included; parts vary. A typical contract covers labour and excludes major-component replacement (NVR hard drives, mag-locks). Check the small print so you know which costs are fixed and which are pay-as-you-go.
You don\'t have to use the original installer. Most installers will survey an existing system, document any deficiencies, and quote to take it on. Expect a "first visit" charge that brings the system to a known-good state before the maintenance contract starts.
Verified installers offering service contracts and ad-hoc maintenance.
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For a small domestic CCTV system you can probably get away without one, though you should still budget for a hard-drive replacement after 3–5 years. For graded alarm systems, monitored sites, or anything insurance-related, an annual service is usually mandatory and the certificate is part of your policy. Commercial sites benefit from SLA-backed maintenance because the cost of an outage is so much higher than the contract.
For a typical domestic alarm or CCTV system, contracts start around £150–£250 per year for a single annual visit and basic phone support. Commercial Grade 2 alarm contracts run £200–£500 per year; Grade 3 with dual-path signalling and faster SLAs more. Multi-system contracts (CCTV + alarm + access control on one site) usually attract a discount versus separate contracts.
Yes. Most installers will take on systems they didn't install, after a survey to document the current state. There may be a first-visit charge to bring the system to a known-good baseline before the maintenance contract starts. Occasionally an installer will decline take-on if the existing install is too far from current standards or uses end-of-life equipment they can't source parts for.
Preventative is the planned visit where the engineer checks everything works and replaces wear-and-tear items before they fail. Reactive is when something breaks and you need it fixed. Most contracts bundle both: typically one or two preventative visits per year, plus reactive call-outs covered by the SLA. Reactive-only contracts exist but tend to be more expensive overall because problems get caught later.
Usually labour is included, the battery cost is not. Standby batteries in alarm panels typically last 3–5 years; sensor batteries in wireless devices 2–5 years depending on duty cycle. A good contract will identify failing batteries on the preventative visit and quote replacement before they cause a fault.
All of these services benefit from a maintenance contract.
Filter the directory by postcode to find a certified maintenance provider near you.
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