How Long Is an Alarm Contract?

There is no set and pre-determined length for an alarm contract. This amount of time varies between different alarm monitoring companies, with the typical length being about three to five years. The terms of the contract are set by the monitoring company and agreed upon by the customer.

An alarm contract is essentially an agreement to a monitoring company saying, "I promise to pay for your service for X amount of time." During this time, you will be required to make regular payments in exchange for alarm monitoring service. If you decide that you want to terminate your monitoring service during this time for any reason, often a monitoring contract will stipulate that they can charge a large cancellation fee. Cancellation fees are usually outlined in the fine print of the alarm contract. In other words, an alarm contract essentially locks a customer into paying a monthly fee for monitoring service for a set period of time, unless they are willing to pay a large fee to get out of the commitment.

Fortunately, it is possible to receive monitoring service without locking yourself into a restrictive contract. Alarm Grid, for example, offers a no-contract monitoring solution. This allows users to terminate their service at any time. We have no cancellation fees. If you ever decide to leave Alarm Grid, you can do so at absolutely no additional cost to you. Additionally, contracts will often stipulate that the company retains ownership of your equipment in the event of an early termination of the contract. In these cases, they actually collect equipment. With Alarm Grid, you own the equipment. Additionally, any equipment we sell is non-proprietary. It can be taken to a different monitoring company if desired.

There are other companies that provide this same sort of service. Though, obviously, we do our best to maintain a wonderful customer experience. If you're looking for no contract service, and are looking to see what's offered, we suggest you research companies that advertise no contract monitoring. Below are some questions to ask while vetting services:

1. If I stop my service with you, can someone else monitor my equipment? A lot of companies will give you proprietary equipment that can't be monitored by anyone else. This equipment will cost the average purchaser hundreds of dollars. The cost of replacing it for an open system or another proprietary system is often as much as breaking a contract would have cost.
2. Do you have an activation fee? Alarm Grid does not have any hidden fees. Other companies often do.
3. Do I have to buy new equipment to be monitored by you? If you have equipment already installed, it can usually be modified to be taken over. Often, companies will not tell you this because it's easier to simply have you purchase all new equipment and activate you from scratch. Alarm Grid tries to save you money whenever possible.
4. What type of support do you offer? Many alarm companies will offer support, but at a substantial cost. They will charge you service fees in exchange for sending technicians out to your home or business. Alarm Grid is a strictly DIY company, and we never send out any technicians or roll any trucks. Instead, you can email us or speak to us online or over the phone for technical support. We also offer online videos and FAQs to help you with any problems that you may encounter. All of our support is completely free and complementary for being an Alarm Grid customer.