A fire alarm maintenance contract is one of the most common fire safety costs for landlords, managing agents and businesses. The price depends mainly on how long a competent engineer needs to test your system properly.
What drives the price
- Number of devices: detectors, call points, sounders and visual alarms all need testing over the year.
- System type: conventional, addressable and wireless systems take different amounts of time to test.
- Interfaces: door holders, smoke vents, lift recall, plant shutdown and sprinkler monitoring all need their cause and effect checked.
- Access: high ceilings, locked flats and plant rooms take longer.
- Number of visits: BS 5839-1 recommends servicing at intervals of no more than six months.
- Remote monitoring: connection to an alarm receiving centre is usually charged separately.
- Call-out cover: reactive response times and out-of-hours cover affect the price.
What a proper service includes
- Logbook review, including false alarms since the last visit.
- Panel, indicator and power supply checks.
- Battery and charger tests.
- Functional testing of a share of devices, so every device is tested over the year.
- Checks that the building has not changed in a way that affects the system.
- A written report with any defects and variations.
Comparing quotes
Check that each quote states:
- how many visits per year
- how many devices are tested on each visit
- whether batteries and minor parts are included
- the call-out response time and rate
- what the report looks like.
A very cheap contract often means fewer devices tested per visit, or an engineer who is on site for far less time than the system needs.
Getting a fixed price
Tell us the type of panel, the approximate number of devices and the building use, and we will give you a fixed annual price before you commit.
This guide is general information about UK fire safety law and standards, not legal advice for a specific building. If you are unsure what applies to yours, ask us or a qualified adviser.