Personal alarms, key safes and telecare: costs and how to get one

A personal alarm is a pendant or wristband that connects an older person to a 24-hour response centre at the press of a button. Council-run services in England charge roughly £6 to £13 a week for 2026/27, plus a set-up fee, and the alarm and monitoring are VAT-free for disabled or chronically sick people. You can get one through your council’s adult social care team or buy one privately, and a key safe lets responders and carers get in without breaking the door.

In short

• Example 2026/27 council charges: Harborough Lifeline £6.00 a week plus £122 set-up; St Helens £6.92 to £12.64 a week depending on how much equipment is fitted.
• Alarm systems designed for disabled people, and the control-centre monitoring service, are zero-rated for VAT if the user is disabled or chronically sick (VAT Notice 701/7, section 7).
• Ordinary age alone does not qualify for VAT relief; a long-term condition affecting daily life does.
• Most landlines are being moved from analogue to digital, with most customers expected to be switched by the end of January 2027. Tell your phone provider if anyone in the home uses an alarm.
• If the council assesses a need, telecare can form part of a care plan. Aids and minor adaptations costing £1,000 or less are provided free in England.
• Choose a key safe with police-backed Secured by Design accreditation and share the code only with people who need it.

This is our national guide. If your parent lives in West Sussex, see our local guide to personal alarms and telecare in West Sussex for county-specific services.

What a personal alarm, key safe and telecare actually do

These three terms are often used loosely, so it helps to separate them.

• Personal alarm (also called a lifeline, careline or community alarm): a base unit and a button worn on a cord or wrist. Pressing it opens a two-way speech call with a monitoring centre, which talks to your parent, then calls a named family responder, a mobile warden service or 999.
• Telecare: sensors linked to the same base unit that raise an alert automatically. Common ones are fall detectors, smoke and heat detectors, flood sensors, bed or chair occupancy sensors, door-exit sensors for someone with dementia who may walk out at night, and carbon monoxide alarms.
• Key safe: a small coded box fixed outside the front door that holds a spare key. It means a responder, paramedic or home carer can get in quickly if your parent has fallen and cannot reach the door.
• Mobile or GPS alarms: a device with its own SIM card that works outside the home and can share a location. These suit people who are still active but at risk of falls or getting lost.

An alarm is only as good as the response behind it. If no family member lives within about 20 to 30 minutes, ask whether the provider offers a mobile responder who will attend in person, as many falls do not need an ambulance but do need someone to help the person up safely.

What personal alarms cost in 2026/27

There is no national price. Councils, housing associations and private companies each set their own charges. To give a sense of the range, here are two council services that publish 2026/27 prices:

Private providers usually charge monthly or annually and may add a fee for a mobile responder. When comparing, work out the full first-year cost. At £6.00 a week plus £122 set-up, a year of Harborough’s basic service costs £434. Add a fall detector and the first year rises to £569 (£104 for the pendant plus £31 set-up). Ask every provider the same questions: is there a minimum contract, is the price VAT-inclusive, who responds if no family member is available, and what happens in a power cut.

VAT relief: paying no VAT on an alarm

HMRC rules zero-rate an emergency alarm call system that is designed so a disabled person can use it, as long as it lets them call a named person or a control centre. The monitoring service from that control centre is also zero-rated for an eligible person, and so are repairs and maintenance of the system. Intruder alarms, ordinary phones and CCTV do not qualify.

Your parent qualifies if they have a physical or mental impairment with a long-term, substantial effect on everyday activities, or a condition doctors treat as a chronic sickness, such as diabetes. Being elderly but not disabled does not count, and nor does a temporary injury such as a broken wrist. There is no means test and no need to be on a disability benefit. The supplier will ask for a short signed eligibility declaration, which you can sign on your parent’s behalf if they cannot. The same rules make wheelchairs, adjustable beds and stairlifts VAT-free, which our guide to mobility aids and wheelchairs covers.

How to get one through the council

1. Contact adult social care and ask for a needs assessment under the Care Act 2014. Our guide on preparing for a care needs assessment explains what to mention, such as recent falls, confusion at night or leaving the cooker on.
2. Ask for an occupational therapy view if falls are the main worry. An OT can recommend telecare alongside grab rails and other kit. Equipment and minor adaptations up to £1,000 are free in England, see free equipment and OT assessments.
3. Check if it is free short term. After a hospital stay, telecare can be included in a period of reablement, which councils in England provide free for up to 6 weeks.
4. Understand the charge. If telecare becomes part of an ongoing care plan, the council may include it in the financial assessment for home care. Many councils also let anyone buy their alarm service directly, without an assessment, at the published rate.

Benefits can help with the cost. A person over State Pension age who needs help with personal care or supervision may qualify for Attendance Allowance of £76.70 or £114.60 a week, which is not means-tested. Our Attendance Allowance checker takes a couple of minutes.

The digital landline switchover: what to check

Telephone companies are moving customers from the old analogue network to digital lines that run through a broadband router. The government’s Telecare National Action Plan says most customers can expect to be switched by the end of January 2027. Older alarm units built for analogue lines may not work reliably on a digital line, and a router stops working in a power cut unless it has battery back-up.

Under a charter signed by the main providers, people with a telecare device should not be moved to a digital line until a working, compatible solution is confirmed. That only works if the provider knows about the alarm, so:

• tell your parent’s phone and broadband provider that there is a telecare device in the home;
• ask the alarm provider whether the unit is digital-ready, and request an upgrade or a unit with a built-in SIM if not;
• after any switch, press the button to make a test call;
• ask about battery back-up for the router, or choose an alarm that uses the mobile network.

Key safes: what to buy and how to stay safe

A key safe is cheap insurance against a door being forced after a fall. Some councils and alarm services fit one as part of their package. If you buy your own, choose a model with Secured by Design accreditation, the police-backed security standard, and fix it to masonry rather than a fence or a wooden frame. Place it out of direct view from the street if you can.

Treat the code like a PIN. Give it to the alarm provider, the home care agency and close family, and record who has it. Change it when a carer leaves, after a family fall-out or if you suspect it has been shared. If your parent has dementia, think about whether they might give the code to a doorstep caller; our guide to scams targeting older people covers doorstep crime.

Mistakes families make

• The pendant stays in a drawer. Many people stop wearing it because it is bulky or they feel it marks them as frail. Try a wrist version, and agree a weekly test call.
• Wrong responder list. Responders should live nearby, have a key or the key safe code, and answer at night.
• No fall detector. A standard button only works if the person is conscious and able to press it. Automatic fall detection costs a few pounds a week more. Our falls prevention guide covers reducing the risk in the first place.
• Relying on an alarm instead of care. Alarms help in an emergency. They do not help someone wash, eat or take medicines. If those are slipping, look at home care costs or ask the council for a reassessment.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Councils in Scotland and Wales, and Health and Social Care Trusts and housing providers in Northern Ireland, run similar community alarm services with their own charges. VAT relief and the digital switchover apply across the UK. In Wales, charges for non-residential care and support are subject to a Welsh Government weekly maximum, currently £100, so ask the council whether alarm charges count towards it. In Scotland, free personal care does not automatically cover an alarm service, so check the council’s charging policy.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a personal alarm cost per week?

Council alarm services in England commonly charge about £6 to £13 a week for 2026/27. For example, Harborough charges £6.00 a week plus a £122 set-up fee, and St Helens charges £6.92 to £12.64 a week depending on the equipment. Private companies set their own prices, so compare the full first-year cost including set-up and any responder fee.

Can you get a personal alarm free?

Sometimes. Councils in England can include telecare free for up to 6 weeks as part of reablement after a hospital stay, and aids costing £1,000 or less are provided free after assessment. Longer term, the council may charge, subject to a financial assessment. People on low incomes may pay little or nothing, and some areas fund alarms for specific groups.

Do you pay VAT on a personal alarm?

No, if the user is disabled or chronically sick. An alarm call system designed for a disabled person, and the monitoring service from a control centre, are zero-rated for VAT. Being elderly alone does not qualify. You sign a short eligibility declaration for the supplier, and a relative or carer can sign it if the person cannot.

Will my parent’s alarm work after the digital landline switch?

It may not unless it is digital-ready. Most landlines are expected to be switched to digital by the end of January 2027. Tell the phone provider there is a telecare device so it is not switched without a working solution, ask the alarm provider about an upgrade, make a test call after the switch, and check battery back-up for power cuts.

Are key safes safe?

They are generally safe if you choose a model with Secured by Design police-backed accreditation, fix it firmly to brickwork and keep the code private. Share the code only with responders, carers and close family, keep a record of who has it, and change it whenever a carer leaves or you think it may have been passed on.

Can you get a personal alarm without a landline?

Yes. Many providers now offer alarms with a built-in SIM card that connect over the mobile network, and some GPS alarms work outside the home too. These avoid problems with digital phone lines and router power cuts, but check mobile signal strength in the home first and ask about battery life and charging.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Telecare National Action Plan – digital phone switchover
• GOV.UK: Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people (VAT Notice 701/7)
• GOV.UK: VAT relief for disabled people
• Harborough District Council: Lifeline service fees
• St Helens Council: Lifeline – how much does it cost
• Cardiff Council: adult services fees and charges
• legislation.gov.uk: Care Act 2014

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.