Business Security
Buy or lease a security system?
A very low install price attached to a five-year monitoring contract is not a bargain — it is a finance deal. The question is whether that suits you, not whether it is cheap.
Commercial security is sold two ways. You buy the equipment outright and pay separately for monitoring and maintenance, or you pay little or nothing up front and a larger monthly figure that bundles the hardware in.
Neither is wrong. But they are frequently compared as though the monthly figures are equivalent, and they are not.
Side by side
| Buy outright | Lease / bundled | |
|---|---|---|
| Up front | £800 – £10,000+ | Little or nothing |
| Monthly | Monitoring and maintenance only | Higher — includes the hardware |
| Contract length | Monitoring can be shorter | Typically 3 – 5 years |
| Who owns the kit | You, immediately | Often the provider, throughout |
| Leaving early | Change monitoring provider | Pay out the balance |
| At the end of the term | You still own it | Check — you may own nothing |
| Total over five years | Usually lower | Usually higher |
Do the multiplication
This is the whole exercise. A system at £70 a month over five years is £4,200. Compare that with a £2,500 install plus £25 a month monitoring, which is £4,000 over the same period — and at the end of it you own the equipment.
Ask both suppliers for the total payable over the full term, in pounds, and put the two numbers side by side. Any reluctance to provide that figure is itself informative.
When leasing genuinely makes sense
Cash flow. A new business, or one that would rather not put several thousand pounds into security up front, may reasonably choose to spread it — and it is a predictable operating cost rather than a capital one.
It can also suit leased premises where you may not be there in five years, though check what happens to the equipment and the contract if you move.
The terms that decide it
Who owns the equipment at the end of the term. If the answer is the provider, you have rented a system, and at renewal you have no leverage at all.
Whether the equipment can be monitored by a different provider. A proprietary panel locked to one monitoring centre turns every future renewal into a rip-out and replace.
The early termination charge, in pounds, and what happens if you sell the business or move premises.
Ask your insurer before either
Your policy may require a particular grade of system, or certification by an NSI or SSAIB inspected installer. Fitting something that does not meet a policy condition can leave a claim exposed.
A short call to your broker before you sign is far cheaper than upgrading afterwards, whichever way you finance it.
The short answer
Cash available and the premises are yours for the long term: buy outright and keep the monitoring contract short and competitive.
Cash flow matters more than total cost: lease — but get the total over the term in writing, confirm who owns the kit at the end, and check it is not locked to one monitoring provider.
Ready to compare business security?
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Common questions
Why is the install so cheap on some quotes?
Because the hardware cost is inside the monthly monitoring fee. It is a finance arrangement, and the total over the term is what to compare.
Who owns the equipment on a leased system?
Often the provider, throughout and sometimes afterwards. Get the answer in writing before signing.
Can I switch monitoring provider mid-contract?
Rarely without a charge, and not at all if the panel is proprietary. Ask whether the system can be re-monitored by anyone else.
Does leasing affect my insurance?
Not directly, but the specification does. Confirm with your broker that the proposed system meets any policy conditions.
Before you request a quote
What this should cost, what moves the price, and the questions to put to any supplier.
Business Security
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