Flextec Maintenance Tiers — Annual Service, Service Plus, Total Care
TL;DR: Three maintenance tiers for Hull commercial security systems. Annual Service from around £200 per site covers BS EN 50131 / BS 5839 compliance testing and a written report. Service Plus adds priority response and a discounted call-out rate. Total Care is a fixed monthly fee that includes call-outs, parts and remote diagnostics. Every tier is quoted per site after a survey — the bands below are typical, not fixed.
Why have a maintenance contract at all?
Two reasons. First, BS EN 50131 (intruder), BS 5839 (fire) and BS 5266 (emergency lighting) all require annual servicing and a written test report — your insurer or fire risk assessor will ask for it. Second, security systems left untested for two or three years routinely fail their next compliance test on battery backup, signal-path and detector range. Catching that during a £200 service is cheaper than discovering it during a claim.
The 2026 comparison table
| Feature | Annual Service | Service Plus | Total Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual compliance visit | ✅ One visit / year | ✅ One visit / year | ✅ Up to two visits / year |
| Written test report | ✅ BS EN 50131 / BS 5839 / BS 5266 as applicable | ✅ Same plus risk-flag annexe | ✅ Same plus risk-flag annexe |
| Call-out priority | Standard queue | Priority — typical 4 working hours | Priority — typical 4 working hours |
| Call-out rate | Standard hourly rate | Discounted (typically 20% off) | Inclusive — no extra charge for visits within scope |
| Parts | Quoted per fault | Quoted per fault — discounted on like-for-like swap | Inclusive on like-for-like swap (excludes battery upgrades and CapEx replacements) |
| Remote diagnostics | On request | Included — quarterly health check | Included — monthly health check |
| Software / firmware updates | During the annual visit | During the annual visit + remote where supported | Continuous — applied as released |
| Typical price (single small site) | Around £200 / year | Around £35 / month (£420 / year) | Around £75 / month (£900 / year) |
Prices shown are typical for a single small commercial site with one CCTV system or one intruder alarm. Multi-system or multi-site quotes scale per system. Every quote is given per site after a survey.
Which tier suits which site?
- Annual Service: small commercial premises with a single CCTV or single intruder alarm, where the customer is happy paying call-outs ad-hoc when something fails. Most retail units, single offices and small bars / cafes start here.
- Service Plus: sites where downtime hurts — bars during weekend trading, retail during peak season, care homes where any access issue is a safeguarding concern. The discounted call-out and 4-hour priority response are the value.
- Total Care: multi-system sites (CCTV + intruder + access control + intercom on one estate), or sites where the management team prefers a fixed monthly OPEX line over variable repair invoices. Property managers and letting agents on multi-tenant blocks tend to prefer this.
What none of the tiers cover
For honesty, the tiers exclude:
- Equipment upgrades — moving from a 4-camera system to an 8-camera system is a CapEx project, not a maintenance call.
- Battery replacements at end-of-life — quoted at cost when they fall due (typically every 4–5 years on intruder alarm panels, 5–7 years on emergency lighting batteries, 3 years on UPS for NVRs).
- Damage from third-party works — e.g. a builder cuts through a CCTV cable. Repaired at hourly rate, with quote first.
- Vandalism — repaired at hourly rate, with quote first; many customers claim this back through their building insurance.
Takeover from another installer
Maintenance takeovers from previous installers are routine. The first visit audits the existing system, identifies any end-of-life components, lists what is needed to bring the site to current BS EN 50131 / BS 5839 compliance, and provides a transition quote. Your existing system stays live throughout. Once the audit is signed off, the site moves onto whichever maintenance tier suits — and the certification clock resets at the next annual visit.
Compare further
- Hikvision vs Dahua vs Ajax — which suits your site
- Commercial-grade vs Amazon DIY kit — what changes
- 2026 Hull Commercial Security Installer Buyer's Guide
Get a maintenance quote for your site — phone 01482 762545 or email info@flexteclimited.co.uk. Mon to Fri, 7:30am–5:00pm.