Yes, a house alarm can reduce the cost of home insurance. It is one of the things the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the State’s consumer watchdog, lists as grounds for a discount, with a further discount where the alarm is monitored. How much, and on what conditions, is each insurer’s own decision, so the only way to know what it is worth on your policy is a quote with the alarm declared.
GMIB.ie compares house insurance quotes from a wide panel of insurers, and where the form cannot give a price straight away one of our agents reviews your details and calls you back with the options. The home quote form is at the foot of this page.
What an alarm is worth on a home insurance quote
The CCPC’s list. You may get a discount if the house has an alarm, with an extra discount if it is monitored, if you have a smoke detector, if security locks are fitted, if you have made no claims in the past three years, if the applicant or a resident is over 40 or 50, if residents are non-smokers, if someone is usually home during the day, if your house is in a neighbourhood watch area, or if you hold another policy with the same company. An alarm is one line on that list, and the others are worth declaring on the same quote.
The standard and the installer. The Gardaí advise that all installed alarms should comply with the European standard EN 50131, and that all alarm installers and installation companies must be licensed by the Private Security Authority. Our full quote asks whether the alarm is fitted, whether it is monitored and who installed it, so have the installer’s certificate to hand. A self-fitted kit is still worth declaring; whether it earns the same discount is the insurer’s call.
Keep it switched on. Whether the discount comes with a condition, such as setting the alarm when the house is empty, is each insurer’s decision; the policy document says exactly what applies. The CCPC notes that contents policies usually do not cover money or valuables stolen from a home that was not properly secured. Whether an unset alarm counts as “not properly secured” is a matter for the policy wording, so read it and set the alarm whenever the house is empty. The Gardaí add that an alarm is a back-up to good physical security, not a replacement for it.
Installed one mid-policy? Tell your insurer, or tell us if the policy is through GMIB.ie. Whether the discount applies from that day or from renewal is the insurer’s decision, and the alarm should be on the policy record either way.
Security that costs little, and what to tell us
The Garda advice. Lock all doors and windows; one in five burglars enters through an unlocked door or window. Use timer switches on internal lights and motion detectors on external lights so the house looks occupied. Keep keys away from windows and letterboxes, and not under a mat. Record the details of valuables and do not keep large amounts of cash at home. When the house is empty for a while, ask a trusted neighbour or relative to check it at different times of the day.
Empty for longer than a month? The CCPC notes that contents policies usually exclude loss or damage while the home is left empty beyond a set period, often more than 30 days. Tell your insurer before a long absence and ask what the policy needs from you while you are away.
What the quote asks. The Quick Quote takes the address and a few details about you and the house. The full quote asks about the alarm, locks, smoke detectors, how long the house is unoccupied in a typical week, your claims in the past five years, and the rebuild cost and contents total you want insured. Our guide to comparing house insurance in Ireland explains how to settle those figures before you quote, and our house insurance page covers buildings and contents cover.
GMIB.ie is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
It can, and the size of any discount is each insurer’s own decision. The practical test is two quotes for the same house, one with the alarm declared and one without; the difference is what the alarm is worth to that insurer.
It depends on the policy wording, which is why any condition attached to an alarm discount matters. The CCPC notes that contents policies usually do not cover money or valuables taken from a home that was not properly secured. Read the condition and set the alarm whenever the house is empty.
The Gardaí say not to write alarm codes on the instruction manual or on walls or doors near the keypad, and to insist on a training session from the installer so everyone in the house can set and unset it. An alarm nobody sets earns a discount on paper only.
