One of the issues with renting a home, condo or apartment is that you generally receive only what the landlord gives you in terms of keys, locks and other security aspects. It’s not your house so you might be loathe to spend your own money to upgrade security.
We already spoke on this website about how and why renters suffer break-ins at a higher rate than home owners. The questions then becomes what can I do about it and can a renter get a home security system? The problem that arises is that some home alarm companies treat renters and home owners differently.
Tenants can get paid alarm services but some home alarm companies won’t deal with renters or will charge them more than home owners for alarm services. Many home alarm companies require you to sign a contract and you might have to purchase equipment which makes it less desirable and affordable for renters on a budget.
Can A Renter Get A Home Security System?
Tenants tend to move more frequently than owners and alarm companies don’t want delinquent customers who fail to pay when they leave a rented property. In some cases, alarm companies may view the rental market as an undesirable one to service. Some alarm companies may not offer the service to a renter or effectively make it difficult to get their service with a long 2-3 year contract, equipment purchase requirement or expensive monthly fee.
Having said that, there are several alarm companies who may be an option for tenants who would like to get a home alarm service for the residence that they rent. Let’s take a closer look at them.
United States
Think Protection is a home security alarm provider available in the United States that happily deals with renters, does not require a contract and doesn’t require you to buy equipment. They offer customized options with a monthly fee that can be canceled anytime. The company was co-founded by the same man who founded Alarmforce (Joel Matlin) so he has significant experience in the home alarm and security business.
SimpliSafe is another company that offers monitored security services without a contract that you might consider if you’re a renter. They have monthly fee options and you can customize packages.
Frontpoint also offers a monthly fee with no contract but they do also offer contract options that can reduce the monthly cost. Professional monitoring is offered that is good for a house but also a small condo or apartment.
Canada
Think Protection is also available in Canada and in fact was founded by a Canadian father and son duo, Adam and Joel Matlin. They happily deal with tenanted customers across Canada as they do in the US.
Bell Smart Home is offered by Bell Canada. The company used to be known as Alarmforce which Bell acquired in 2017 and rebranded. While Bell Smart Home requires a 3 year contract, if you are already a Bell customer, you might try asking for a shorter term or no term. They are a telecom company and it’s an industry that is competitive and is used to giving deals and bending their own rules when they feel like it. It’s worth a try and if that doesn’t work, you can tell Bell you’re going to Think Protection since they require no contract.
Who Pays For Home Security?
Some landlords will try to get away with providing as little as possible in terms of upgrades and repairs. Depending on the local rental market and many other factors, they might be having trouble earning a profit on the property as it is and will be loathe to spend more, even on something like security.
It’s possible that you might find a rental property that comes with an active alarm system. I pay for a security service for the tenants in the house I rent out! It protects them and my house against theft as well as fire, water and cold damage due to the other services I included that monitors the home temperature and signs of smoke and flooding among other things. If you live in a condo, it’s possible the unit has a security system built in that you can just use.
But in general terms you will probably find that you the tenant is responsible for paying for a monitored security alarm system.