Burglar Alarms in Buckinghamshire for Businesses and Landlords

Who this page is for

Premises that are empty some of the time and have something worth taking.

• Shops, offices and trade units that are locked up every night
• Warehouses and yards with stock or plant
• Landlords with empty flats or houses between tenants
• Managing agents who need to secure a vacant commercial unit
• Farms and rural buildings in the countryside parts of the county

We do not cover the domestic market on this page. For homes, see our burglar alarm cost guide.

Landlords and empty properties

A property between tenants is a target.

A vacant flat or house has no one in it to notice a forced door, and neighbours see the empty building too. Landlords with several properties in Buckinghamshire often want an alarm that can be moved or set up fast. See burglar alarms for rental properties and temporary alarms for empty properties.

A rented home with several tenants also needs fire safety checked, which is a different matter from the burglar alarm. Buckinghamshire Council's pages say a mandatory HMO licence is needed where five or more occupants form two or more households. An intruder alarm does not meet any licence fire condition. Fire alarm and door questions are on our HMO fire safety guide.

Choosing the grade and the response

Two decisions: how strong the system is and who responds.

Most small commercial premises are Grade 2 and larger or higher-value sites move to Grade 3. Your insurer may specify the grade, so ask them before we design. Our Grade 2 versus Grade 3 guide sets out the difference.

Response comes in three levels. A bells-only system makes noise and hopes. A monitored system calls a keyholder. A system with police response needs a unique reference number, and the police apply their own rules on when they will attend. See bells-only versus monitored, business alarm monitoring options and what a police response URN is.

In Buckinghamshire, police response is a matter for Thames Valley Police. Check their current policy before you assume attendance.

What an installation includes

Survey, design, fit, test, handover.

1. 1Survey. We look at entry points, how the building is used and where the keyholders live.
2. 2Design. Detector types for each space, a control panel, keypad and sounders, with a note of what the insurer needs.
3. 3Install. Wired or wireless, depending on the building. Cables are routed neatly and any hole through a fire wall is sealed.
4. 4Test and commission. Every device is tested, and the signalling path is proved if monitored.
5. 5Handover. You get user training and a maintenance schedule.

Annual servicing keeps the insurance valid on many policies. See are alarm maintenance contracts worth it. Our national page on intruder alarms covers the full service.

Alarm, CCTV and access control together

One system rarely does the whole job.

An alarm raises the alert. CCTV shows what happened, and access control stops the wrong person getting in at all. For many Buckinghamshire sites the right answer is two of the three. Our county pages cover CCTV and access control, and the business burglar alarm page covers the national picture.

We cover Buckinghamshire towns including High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Marlow. See what SSAIB certification means.

Sources

• SSAIB: DC Fire & Security supplier entry
• Buckinghamshire Council: guide to licensing HMOs

Updated October 2026 by Sebastian Grabowski, DC Fire & Security, 2 Winsdon Court, Luton LU1 5LZ.