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murphydavid wrote: »

Just had a renewal quote but it includes a new clause saying I will not have cover for theft if I don't have a grade 2 EN50131 alarm fitted or if my existing alarm was not fitted by a NACOSS/SSAIB approved installer. I don't.
When I look on the web for NACOSS/SSAIB approved installer I find companies that have an amazing number and varieties of devices (or levels of protection). Can anyone tell me what is the minimum that will satisfy the above condition and if you know approx cost. I only want minimum expenditure to enable me to get cheap full insurance because up till now my main experiance of alarms is an alarm sounding for what seems an endless period with no one taking a blind bit of notice of it except to grumble about the noise, so I have a prominant real alarm box (diy) but no one knows it won't sound.

Probably not as bad, or as expensive, as you might think. These days prices are pretty reasonable, and wireless systems make installation a lot simpler.

Are you in the London area, or a high risk burglary area? Or is it the amount of cover that's increased the demands of the insurer? Not LV is it?

I ask only because it may be worth checking around for other insurers with lower requirements.

murphydavid wrote: »

.... I don't know what kind of alarm to ask for that would satisfy their rules. I presume a box on the outside wall and one movement sensor in my hall - would that be enough?

I don't think there's a simple answer to that. I think unfortunately that you'd have to get quotations from local installers (a phone call should give you a rough idea) on what would be needed as a bare minimum to achieve Grade 2 EN50131. I'm guessing here, but I suspect it will be a bit more than a box and a sensor, but it shouldn't cost the earth.

I'm sure we'd all be interested to know the outcome too.

The thing that really costs, long term, is a maintenance contract, but I don't think LV are requiring that, are they? For what it's worth, in 12 years the only thing that's ever needed doing to our system is a battery replacement, and that was in the warranty period. A good system needs practically nothing in the way of maintenance and contracts are just a profit centre for the providers.

LV seem pretty keen on alarms - I suppose it keeps their claims down, maybe because it enables them to attract the sort of customer that makes fewer claims.