Why is this necessary?
The risk assessment identifies:
- security risks & target areas of your property
- methods & routes of entry & escape
- past break-in history
This will allow your installer to recommend the appropriate grade of system and design an installation to give suitable protection against the identified risks.
A risk assessment is particularly important when your insurance cover is dependent on your property being protected by an intruder alarm. In this case, your installer will look to the insurer to see if they have any particular requirements in respect of grading and design.
In the event of an insurance claim for burglary, your insurer may ask to see your installers risk assessment documentation. If this has not been correctly documented, your insurance company may look to the installer for all or some of your losses.
What does the risk assessment involve?
The risk assessment simply identifies what needs protecting and how best to do this in your property's unique situation. Ideally the installer will need to know:
- which rooms contain valuables or a safe (if you choose to decline to give this information the installer will simply note that the information was not available at the time)
- points of entry
- ease of access
- environmental factors that will affect the operation of your system
Remember, the installer can only provide adequate protection if they know the areas of risk and likely loss.
Do not worry if asked these questions - the installer should be asking them. All NSI approved company staff are required to be security vetted.
