Start with the entrance and who controls it
For an East London property, explain whether the entrance serves one household, a business or several occupants. A shared front door may have a different responsible party from the space you occupy. Identify who can approve work before selecting door entry equipment, external cameras or cable routes.
Our access control and door entry service discusses single-door and networked arrangements. Tell us how visitors are admitted, where calls should be answered and who will administer users. The proposal should fit those routines and the permissions available for the particular building.
Read our local service information for Hackney, Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Newham.
Hackney enquiries and property information
Being based on Chatsworth Road gives our enquiries a clear head-office contact. It does not replace the need for the full site address. Include the unit, floor or access entrance where relevant, especially if the postal address differs from the point where someone will meet the installer.
Where external alterations are proposed, check whether the property has relevant designation or restrictions. Hackney Council publishes a conservation areas map. Use it as a starting point for the property and clarify any required permissions with the appropriate parties before work proceeds.
Home alarms and camera coverage
Homeowners may want to improve an existing alarm, see an entrance more clearly or plan security alongside a refurbishment. Explain the concern rather than feeling you need to select the products first. Existing equipment details and photographs can help establish the starting point for the discussion.
Our burglar alarm service considers detection and operation, while home CCTV addresses selected views and recordings. They have different purposes. Any requested interaction between systems needs to be supported by the equipment and included in the agreed specification.
Retail and workplace operating hours
For a shop or workplace, describe the busiest periods as well as the hours when the premises are empty. Deliveries, cleaners and staff working late can affect alarm setting and access arrangements. If the work needs coordination with a managing agent or other occupiers, identify the appropriate contact early.
Our business security service can consider several systems within one enquiry. For a more detailed starting point, review retail security or warehouse security. Each explains the practical information needed to plan around the premises.
Existing equipment and a change of occupier
An inherited alarm or CCTV system may not match the way a new occupier uses the building. Tell us whether you have access to its controls, documentation and model information, and what you want the replacement or upgrade to achieve. Equipment should be assessed before its reuse is assumed.
If an existing system has a separate monitoring agreement, establish who holds it and what is required for any change. See our monitored alarm information for the distinction between an app notification and an ARC service. The transition arrangements should be understood before an existing service is ended.
Fire installation enquiries and quotations
If your enquiry concerns fire alarm installation, share the relevant specification and identify the areas covered by the proposed work. A residential dwelling, communal area and commercial unit should not be treated as having identical requirements. We first establish the information available and what needs further assessment.
For any service, send your postcode and requirements through our contact page. We determine whether we can quote by phone or need a free site survey. You receive a tailored quotation, and installation is arranged after you accept. Coverage does not imply immediate attendance or a guaranteed response time.