Check out X10:

http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

You can have them help you build a custom system that will automatically dial your contact until someone answers. You can set it to dial a friend, relative, neighbor . . . whoever you trust to make the decision whether or not to call the police.

For NO monthly fees, and you still get the discount on your home owner’s insurance.

I looked into it and that is the way I am going.

Anyway, most alarm companies have an initial term of three years – or even five, in some cases. And, plenty of these contracts automatically renew for a “like term” – meaning if you don’t tell them you want to cancel, then you’re in it for another three or five years.That’s pretty rotten, especially if you don’t the like the company, their prices are too high for what you are getting, etc. Our company offers a one, two, or three-year initial term – you get to choose – and then the contract renews on an annual basis at the end of the initial term, which is similar to yours. That seems a reasonable approach, and our customers appreciate the flexibility – and our service.

As for you situation, it is possible that the people moving into your old place would pick up the service and sign a new contract. That should let you off the hook – with us it would – and perhaps you could even tell the new resident of your old house that you will help them pay for the monthly fees for a while: that would be cheaper than the full cancellation fee. That fee, by the way, should be the monthly rate times the remaining months (sounds like 18), times some percentage (like 80%). You can always try to negotiate an early termination, and see how you do. If necessary, plead hardship. If they are nasty, say you will post a less than flattering review about them – that may get their attention. We try to work with our customers in these situations – and having a wireless systems that you can pick up and take with you makes it easier for our customers – though I realize that your situation is a tough one.Here is a blog post I did on alarm contracts – might be worth reading:

http://blog.frontpointsecurity.com/2010/11/26/wireless-home-alarms-%E2%80%93-understanding-your-alarm-monitoring-contract/

Hope it works out for you.

Cost is going to vary wildly by location, and service company.

Things which can effect your discount are whether all the windows and doors are contacted, motion detectors, pre-entry protection (Glassbreaks) and of course smoke detectors and sometimes you may get an even higher discount if you have line cut protection. You really should be contacting your insurance company for the specifics.

Many insurance companies will not give you a discount if the system is not monitored, some will. The thing is, an alarm system is about more than just the insurance discount, if you do not see the value of a security system, the peace of mind and freedom it can provide, then maybe you should consider window bars.

As for what a system should cost, well that all depends on the scope of protection, the size of your home and the difficulty of the installation. I would highly recommend staying away from a wireless system. If the sales person tries to tell you they are better than hardwire…. chase him / her out of the house… just my professional opinion. A good hardwired system should range around $ 1,200 upwards. If you have a really small house then you may be able to get it for around $ 900 but that is pretty small. An apartment might be around 350 to 500.

I have written a number of articles on security, both electronic and physical. You can find them on my website at http://www.keepsafesystems.ca. You would probably be interested in Protection 101, false alarm info and one on the truth about wireless security (It is in the archive)

Good luck, whatever you do, do not let the sales person talk you into something you do not feel comfortable with.