Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Burglar alarm for a flat UK

Updated: 20.10.2026

You are choosing a burglar alarm for a flat UK tenants and owners actually live in, and the carton may have been labelled for a house. A one-bedroom flat usually needs one door contact, one motion sensor and a sounder you can hear indoors, after the person who controls the building has agreed. A terrace with a back door needs more contacts before it needs a louder box. Prices in our [alarm systems comparison](/hub/burglar-protection/alarm-systems) are amazon.co.uk shelf prices on 19 October 2026. Peter F. used those listings and public UK guidance, not a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing a burglar alarm for a flat UK tenants and owners actually live in, and the carton may have been labelled for a house.

Our top picks

X-Sense X-Sense AS05

Best overall

X-Sense X-Sense AS05
9.0/10about £59.49
View offer
Yale Yale HSA Essentials

Best value

Yale Yale HSA Essentials
8.8/10about £81.88
View offer
Ring Ring Alarm Pack S

Alternative

Ring Ring Alarm Pack S
7.4/10about £139.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Ask before you stick or screw
  2. 2.A flat
  3. 3.A house
  4. 4.A garage or shed

Ask before you stick or screw

The building decides the sensor count. The tenancy decides whether you may fix anything. Leeds University Union's advice says a landlord does not have to add an alarm, and a tenant who fits one without permission can be charged for damage. Some tenancies are silent. Some want written consent before you touch the fabric. If you own a leasehold flat, the freeholder may still control the outside of the building. Get the yes in writing before screws and before an outside box. Adhesive pads can still lift paint. Where those pads should sit is on how to install a wireless burglar alarm.

A flat

A flat often needs the front door plus one PIR. Treat that as a rule of thumb, not a survey of your hallway. Ring's pack line puts Pack S with flats and one-bedroom homes. In this set it is about £139.99, with one contact, one motion detector and a base station that is the siren. The listing says a subscription is required for app or Alexa arming. That count matches one entrance. X-Sense AS05 is the other small kit, and the bullets name apartments and rentals. It is about £59.49, with two door sensors, one motion sensor and a base rated at 100 dB, at 4.5 from 137 reviews. Reviewers say there is no outdoor siren, which is often an advantage in a flat, and that a power cut drops the Wi-Fi alert because the base has no battery backup. A siren that keeps running is a noise problem under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. North Yorkshire Council expects you to speak to the household first, with a cut-out of around 20 minutes.
X-Sense X-Sense AS05

Testsieger

X-Sense X-Sense AS05
9.0/10about £59.49
View offer

A house

A house adds a contact on the back door and a PIR in the hall or on the landing. Ring Pack M has two contacts. Pack L has four, and the siren version of L plus Pack XL put an outdoor siren in the carton. None of those Ring ASINs shows a star line on the listings we checked, and app arming sits on a subscription. Both Yale kits include an outside siren and start with a single contact, so the back door is an extra sensor. Who should skip which row is on best DIY home alarm UK.

A garage or shed

Range is a walk test, not the longest number on a listing. Yale's Sync FAQ states up to 200 m and up to 40 accessories, aimed at a shed or a garage. The HSA listing states 30 m and names sheds and garages inside that range. A garage 15 m down a garden can sit inside the HSA figure on paper and still fail if a solid wall sits between the panel and the contact. Brick and a steel door can cut either claim. XUK's 500 m line is not coverage of a garden. If the freeholder has banned tenant alarms, a box on the garage does not get around that ban.

Common questions

Can I fit an alarm in a rented flat?
Often, if the tenancy allows it and you have written permission before you fix anything. Leeds University Union says a tenant who fits one without permission can be charged for damage. Screws and an outside box need a clearer yes, including from a freeholder if the outside wall is not yours.
Will adhesive pads mark the paint?
They can. No drilling means you are not putting screws in the frame. It does not mean a pad will lift off a painted architrave without a mark. Test one pad where the agreement makes you responsible for decoration.
Do I need an outside box in a flat?
Usually no. In a flat the useful sound is one you and the people in that home can hear. An external siren on a communal stair is the object most blocks do not want. X-Sense AS05 and Ring Pack S use an indoor base. Yale's external box belongs on a house wall you are allowed to use.
Is Ring Pack S enough for a house?
Not if the house has a back door. Pack S is one contact and one motion detector, and Ring's line places it with flats and one-bedroom homes. A terrace with two outside doors needs a second contact. Pack M starts at two contacts. Buying S for a three-bedroom house leaves the back door uncovered.
How do I cover a back door and a landing?
Put a contact on the back door and a PIR where you walk after you come in, often the hall or the landing. The contact reports the opening. The PIR reports movement. The Yale starter kits in this set have one contact, so the back door is an extra sensor.
Can one kit reach a garage?
Only if a walk test says the panel still hears the sensor. Yale Sync states 200 m, and the HSA listing states 30 m, both as catalogue claims that mention sheds and garages. Brick and a steel garage door can cut that short. XUK's 500 m line is not a reason to skip the test. If the garage needs its own alarm, that is a different product from these home kits.

Related pages

Wireless home alarm system UK

Ring Alarm vs Yale

Alarm systems

Best DIY home alarm UK: which kit fits your house?

How to install a wireless burglar alarm in a house

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.

  1. NPCC — Police requirements and response to security systems (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. NSI — Intruder alarm systems (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. legislation.gov.uk — Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, Part 7 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. ProtectUK — Alarms and CCTV (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Avon and Somerset Police — Burglar alarms (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Ring — Plans (UK) (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Yale — Subscription service (UK) (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Yale — Smart sensor FAQ (retrieved 19.10.2026)