I would be tempted to suggest you clarify with your landlord what happens to 'his' system once you leave. If he's cancelled the contract then in theory it would be expensive for him to re-establish it on the same terms.
Also, what was the arrangement with the previous tenants? Did they pay chf 1,355 per annum for the full service?
Does the cheaper option include at least SMS alerts to your mobile and an audible and flashing alarm?
Geneva is a very bad place at the moment for burglaries, there are several gangs of young girls 'working' the whole area.
So although it seems a lot of money, I would be inclined to advice that you pay for the full alarm system, although I'd try to negotiate sharing the cost with your landlord, and try to get a reduction in the premium for your household insurance as you've got a centre based alarm system.
After all, chf 1,355 is less than the cost of a decent lap-top.
Unlikely insurer will decrease premiums for this as they dont reduce likelihood for a single home and insuranc epremiums are based on location and history.
Home alarms are like car alarms most people ignore them
Surely, insurance will be less than the combined sum? Or does the poster have millions worth in stuff lying around? A collection of solid-gold coins? Jewellery? Antique carpets? A HiFi-system worth 39 grand? Or just a six-figure sum in cash?
As they don't own the place, they can move out easily if they no longer feel save after a break-in.
Try to get the employer to pay for it, though.
If enough people did this, politics would listen up in no time - especially in Geneva.
We're considering getting a monitored alarm system fitted in our house. I appreciate the comments about the insurance covering any losses, but having been burgled a couple of times in the UK it gives a degree of peace of mind while away, or at night when we're sleeping.
Furthermore, whilst most items stolen can be replaced (except for any sentimental items), a monitored alarm may stop the place being trashed too, which will be heartbreaking. We live in a single, detached house, so it may be more of an easy target than an apartment. Finally, as heartless as it may seem, if it means they go to an unprotected house elsewhere rather than ours.....
We have so far received quotes from two companies - GPA and Dialarme/Protectas. Has anyone had any particularly good or bad experiences with either of these?
Well we just had Dialarme round last night giving us the "double-glazing salesman" style pitch. Thanks to finding this thread just now my "this-seems-a-bit-steep-and-I-don't-like-being-pushed-to-sign-something-without-having-time-to-investigate-the-options-first" feeling has been confirmed and I called to say gracefully decline their exceptional offer this morning.
My place has all dialarm stuff installed .. Previous owners used it and paid the monthly monitoring fees etc but we didn't take it over. We have stickers on the windows and door and even the mailbox. Part of me wants to get the monitoring set up again..Only because I'd kick myself if soemthing happened.
But we have steel shutters and a front door like a bank vault.. And we live in a little village where most people leave their doors open. Neighbour went on holiday for three weeks and forgot to shut the balcony door, literally left open, not just unlocked.
If it was 50 or less i'd do it .. it's just the principle of 150 or whatever it is.
So we have been burgled around new year eve, and we are still away on holidays . It sucks to get a new year message from the police and just a warning to those who think CH/ ZH is safe. They broke the shutter, entered through the window , and took away a very heavy safe (unfortunately we had not fixed it in the wall) . Electronics they did not bother to touch.
so nothing is safe, wish I had made arangements like we do in "unsafe" countries.
But seriously, do people install such huge safe for domestic purposes ? . When we bought ours, OH was of the opinion this is too heavy and is pretty useless, in Switzerland
AFAIK, the safe-business is pretty healthy in Switzerland.
Probably because too many people work in banks and know too much about what goes on inside them ;-)
The better ones also protect against fire etc.
But they are really meant to buy you time and stall the thief (or the fire) until the police arrives.
The more money you invest, the longer that time will turn out to be (or should).
There is, of course, the trade-off that at some point, if the thieves really want what is inside the safe, they will just assault you when you return home and you get a gun pointed to your head while hubby opens the safe...
To revisit this topic further:
By chance, I stumbled upon a price-list (from SHKB) for their safety deposit boxes:
Some people do. A safe however heavy & secure will only buy you time, in the end the lock & combination can be picked if someone really wants to open it.
Q) How do you take out a safe "safely" from a house?
A) Show up with some kind of "professional" looking van, ring the bell of some neighbor, trundle up the stairs carrying your big repairman kit (B&D electric drills and hammers, etc in nice evidence). Don't make too much of a fuss when opening the door (most locks can be hacked quite easily, I discovered ).
Then bang away - loudly and professionally! - and get lost with the bounty.
It won't work if there is a friendly neighbor who won't buy into whatever repairman bullshit spiel the burglar tries to play.
Which reminds us that good neighbors are a precious asset. I am in the mkt for an alarm system precisely because one of my neighbors had his eyes open and alerted the police when he saw someone odd prowling in the vicinity of our buildings.