What if the house is empty for months at a time?

The questions change. Who holds a key matters more, so does how long the batteries last and how quickly a lost connection gets reported. Worth knowing before you ask: none of the six companies publishes a way to pause or reduce the service while a property is unoccupied. If you need that, get it agreed in writing first.

I rent. Can I install an alarm?

You need the landlord's written permission for anything that alters the property, and you must not affect its structure or security. A wireless system that comes off cleanly is usually an easier conversation. In a block, cameras covering shared areas generally need a three-fifths vote of owners.

Can I pay from a bank account outside Spain?

Yes. A company cannot refuse your euro account simply because it is not Spanish. The rule comes from SEPA, and the Bank of Spain treats a refusal as unlawful and publishes a complaint route. Raise it early rather than at signing, because not every provider handles it smoothly.

What happens to the contract if I sell the house?

It does not follow the equipment on the wall. Cancel it or formally hand it over in writing before completion. Until that is done, you can stay liable for it. Moving house can also start a fresh commitment under some contracts, so ask for the relocation clause.

What is the minimum contract for a home alarm in Spain?

Two years is the norm for a home across Verisure, Movistar Prosegur, Sector Alarm, ADT and SICOR. Business contracts are often three. After the minimum term the contract usually renews yearly unless you give written notice, commonly 30 days before the renewal date.

If I cancel after two years, do I owe anything?

Possibly. The monitoring service and the equipment payment can be two separate obligations, and the second can outlive the first. Ending the service does not extinguish an outstanding installation balance. How many instalments there are depends on your own contract, not on a universal rule. Ask for the schedule in writing before you sign.

Can I change my mind after signing?

Usually yes. A contract agreed at a distance carries a 14-day withdrawal right, and one signed after an unsolicited visit to your home carries 30 days. If you asked for the work to start straight away you may still owe a proportionate amount for what was done.

Do I have to sign a contract in Spanish?

In practice, usually. Spanish consumer law entitles you to clear pre-contract information. It does not give you a right to an English contract. Signing a Spanish one you cannot read does not make it invalid. This is the part we handle with you.

Before you sign

How to check an alarm quote

By Linus Palmqvist, Head of Operations Reviewed by Simon Nilsson Last reviewed 26 July 2026

The monthly figure on the quote is almost always an introductory rate. The contract also has two parts, and they can end at different times. Five things are worth checking before you sign, and they take about ten minutes.

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The price you are quoted is not the price you will pay

Almost every offer in this market opens at an introductory rate for the first few months. After that it moves to the standard rate, and that is the one you live with.

This is the most common complaint customers make about ADT, SICOR and Movistar Prosegur. It is also the easiest thing to avoid. Ask for both figures and the exact date the change happens, and ask for it in writing.

You are signing two things, not one

Ask how long the commitment is and you will be told two years. That covers the monitoring. The equipment is a second arrangement, and it can run longer.

The monitoring service: Two years is the usual minimum. After that it continues year to year unless you give notice in writing, normally 30 days before the renewal date.
The equipment and installation: Usually charged separately from the service, and sometimes over a longer period. Ending the monitoring does not clear whatever is left to pay on the kit.

Ending the monitoring does not clear what is left on the equipment. How many payments that runs to varies by contract, so we will not print a figure. Yours is in the Particular Conditions, the customer-specific part of the paperwork.

Four things people assume are included

Monitoring is the service you are buying. These four are usually sold on top of it, and they are the ones that matter most when something happens.

Someone attending your home: Normally an optional extra. Sector Alarm's contract says the response applies only if you have contracted it. Where it is included, the visit is usually a look around the outside.
Holding a key: A separate service again. Without it, nobody can go inside, secure a door or deal with a pet while you are away.
Maintenance and repairs: Sometimes inside the monthly fee, sometimes billed. SICOR includes it. Ask which applies to you and what a callout costs if it is not.
Cameras and extra sensors: Added per device, and they change both the monthly figure and what the monitoring centre can confirm when the alarm goes off.

What happens when the alarm goes off

Not what most people picture. There is a step between the sensor and the police, and it changes what you should be comparing.

1
The monitoring centre checks first
Spanish rules do not let an alarm call the police directly. The centre has to confirm something is happening, using a camera, audio, several sensors, or by sending someone.
2
Then it reaches the police
A confirmed alarm is passed on as a priority. An unconfirmed one is not, which is why the confirmation method on your quote matters.
3
Nobody promises how fast
Traffic, weather, how busy the company is and how far you live from them all affect it. The contracts say so plainly.
4
A power cut is not instant either
Verisure's terms describe a delay before a mains failure is reported at all. Ask how long the batteries last, and what the backup connection runs on.

Leaving, and how the contract renews

Once the minimum term ends, these contracts carry on year to year on their own. If you want that to stop, you have to say so in writing, usually 30 days before the renewal date.

If you signed in the last two weeks, you may not need any of this. A contract agreed at a distance gives you 14 days to change your mind, and one signed after an unannounced visit to your home gives you 30.

How to cancel

1.Put it in writing, using the channel named in your contract. A phone call on its own leaves you without a record.
2.Include the contract details, the installation address, and the date you want it to end.
3.Ask for the closing balance and for instructions on returning any equipment.
4.Keep the confirmation they send you.
5.If a figure looks higher than you expected, check it against your own contract rather than the offer you were shown at the start.

Expect one thing: ending the monitoring does not clear an outstanding equipment balance. Ask what is left to pay at the point you give notice.

Six things to get in writing

Answers given during a sales visit are easy to misremember, and the person selling to you is not the one who sends the bills. Ask for these by email, or written onto the quote.

the standard monthly rate, and the date it starts
how many payments cover the equipment and installation
who owns the equipment while you are paying for it
what you would owe if you cancelled at month 14, and at month 25
whether someone attending your home is included or charged
the written address to send a cancellation to

If you would rather not have that conversation in Spanish, send us the quote. We will read it, tell you what it commits you to, and compare it against the rest of the market.

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Tell us about the property, documents and language needs. We help compare supported providers, prepare the setup and keep the process understandable. We can help with the rest of your move too: gas, water, internet, home insurance and alarms.

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Signing an alarm contract: common questions

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Written by

Linus Palmqvist

Head of Operations at Settlewell

Linus moved from Sweden to Málaga in 2021 and set his own home up here, so most of this he has already done the hard way once. Before Settlewell he spent years at Workwide, the cross-border recruiter that has helped over 10,000 people into jobs abroad, latterly as its Head of Recruitment and Operations. He speaks Spanish, lives in Málaga with his partner, and spends his days on the phone to Spanish providers.

Reviewed by Simon Nilsson, Founder & CEOLast reviewed 26 July 2026

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We earn a commission if you set up an alarm through us. It does not change what is on this page. We cannot arrange every company we write about. The comparison is ordered alphabetically, not by what we earn. If a company we cannot arrange suits you better, we will say so. Contract points come from the companies' own published terms. Where a company does not publish something, we say so.

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