Does having a video doorbell really lower the cost of your home insurance?

Video door bells seem to be everywhere these days, allowing us all to have peace of mind whenever we leave our homes. They have a variety of benefits, including recording footage from outside your home and allowing you to check on that footage at any point of the day. They even allow you to speak through the doorbell itself - who would've thought that could happen 25 years ago? 

Whether you already have your video doorbell or you’re considering getting one (have a look at our 2023 guide to the best video doorbell if so), then you may be wondering whether there are any financial benefits. Yes, they’re great for protecting our homes but what effect do they have on insurance premiums? Well, we’ve done a bit of digging for you. 

Before you find out, have a read about 6 things you should know before buying a video doorbell. 

How much can having a video doorbell lower your insurance? 

During the process of receiving a quote, any insurance company will ask you a range of questions about your circumstances. These usually include queries about the type of house you own and where you live, but more and more companies are now asking whether you have a security device installed at your home. 

This raises the question of whether a video doorbell counts as a ‘security device’, and if so, will it lower the cost of your insurance premium? Unfortunately, it's still quite a grey area and Aviva’s Underwriting Manager, Jonathan Cracknell, seems to agree. When speaking to comparethemarket.com, he said “While smart home devices can act as good deterrents or detect intrusion more rapidly to help raise the alarm, the majority don't actually prevent physical entry to a property, so they are not considered as a pricing factor when calculating premiums.” 

This seems to be the general consensus across most insurance companies, but the good news is, that it’s a questionable area that will continued to be monitored. Cracknell also mentioned that “some devices are gradually becoming more sophisticated and technology is developing rapidly, so this is an area that we continue to monitor closely.” 

Whilst it may seem all doom and gloom at the moment, car insurers has been using technology to help decipher premiums for a number of years now. Telematics policies use GPS technology to measure how a vehicle is being driven, producing reports that inform insurers about the risk of that individual as a driver. So, if a video doorbell can prove to enhance the safety of someone’s home, it might only be a matter of time before insurance companies look into making it a factor when providing quotes.

Looking into saving money with other areas of your home? Check out the 3 vampire devices that add money to your energy bill without you knowing!