One of the biggest security businesses in the United States is ADT. However, regardless of how effective or popular they are, many clients may want to end their services at some point in their contract.
If you are one of those clients, you’re probably wondering how to get out of your security contract with ADT without paying a cancellation charge.
Unfortunately, if you have a contract, there is no loophole that will make it possible for you to end it for free. The only exceptions are the 6-month money-back guarantee period and the monthly subscription period you enter after your contract has ended.
Although there aren’t necessarily loopholes, canceling an ADT contract is simple if you follow the appropriate steps. This article provides the details of this process.
Top Reasons Why People End a Security System Contract
A security system contract is an agreement between the security company and the customer to have the security company monitor their security system for a certain length of time.
Things do happen, though, and some clients want to terminate their contracts earlier than they had initially planned. Some of the most common reasons to end a security system contract are:
- Moving to another area
- Outdated devices
- Poor customer service
- Can’t afford the monthly rates
- Found a more affordable security system option
- Don’t need a security system
Whichever the case may be, there are ways to terminate your security service without hard feelings and high fees. So let’s look at how to cancel your ADT service.
ADT Security System Contract Overview
All ADT security packages include 24/7 monitoring service. The monthly fees range from $28.99 to $59.99 (or more, depending on your level of enhancements requested). Equipment installation by a trained professional is also necessary; this service can cost as much as $99, depending on the security service you use and the fitted devices.
ADT contracts typically last three years, except in California, where they last only two years.
ADT offers a money-back guarantee within the first six months if things are rocky at the start and you find a technical issue with your system that isn’t fixable. However, after six months, you’re on the hook for up to 75% of your remaining contract, which we’ll dive into in a bit.
Once your original contract expires, you’ll automatically be moved to a monthly plan. During that time, if you provide ADT with at least a 30-day cancellation notice, you can end the monthly contract without paying fees.
How to Cancel an ADT Contract
There are two ways to cancel an ADT contract: with the free or paid cancellation method — both of which start with a phone call.
Unfortunately, you can’t break the news to ADT through text, online, or through their app. Whatever the situation, parting ways with ADT requires a phone call.
To cancel an ADT contract, you must call ADT’s customer service. During this conversation, the ADT representative will probably try to convince you to continue using their service.
They may present you with options like installing a new ADT system in your new home in case you relocate or offering less expensive ADT security system packages if you say you can’t afford your current one.
However, if you insist on canceling their services permanently, the customer support representative will start the cancellation procedure. Your responsibility is to sign and return the company’s cancellation notice when they send it to you.
This cancellation process can go one in two ways. Depending on how recently you signed up for your ADT services, you may need to pay a considerable sum to cancel their service, or you can do it at no cost.
The Only Free Way to End an ADT Contract
The option to cancel an ADT contract free of charge is available under one condition: ADT’s 6-month money-back guarantee. And this offer is the only “loophole” you can use to cancel your ADT contract free of charge.
This policy allows you to cancel your contract without fees within the first six months of using ADT’s services. However, there’s a condition: your ADT alarm must have had a systemic or technical issue that the ADT technicians cannot repair for you to be eligible for this offer.
In such an instance, you will receive a free cancellation guarantee, and ADT will also reimburse you for any installation and monitoring expenses you have already paid.
Give ADT 30 days’ notice if you want to end your contract. If you qualify for this policy, you may need to remove all the equipment and send it back to ADT.
Standard Cancellation Methods
If you’ve used ADT’s services for longer than their 6-month money-back guarantee, you need to pay a 75% cancellation fee.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you have a contract with a 36-month term and a monthly payment of $28.99. After ten months, you decide to end the contract. Since your agreement is valid for another 26 months, you still owe the company $753.74 for the remaining monthly services. To end their services, ADT will charge you a 75% fee of that total sum. In this example, you’ll need to pay them $565.30.
Although this may seem super expensive, ADT offers cheaper cancellation costs than other security firms, such as Alder, Brinks, and Vivint, which demand around 90% and 100% of cancellation fees. However, their trial durations are shorter, which is somewhat of an advantage.
If this segment piqued your attention, let’s look at the potential termination fees you would have to fork over under each ADT contract, starting with the most expensive one.
ADT Contract Cancellation Costs
| Type of package | Complete Package | Video Package | Smart Package | Secure Package | Essentials package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $59.99 | $56.99 | $49.99 | $45.99 | $28.99 |
| 6 months left | $269.96 | $256.46 | $224.96 | $206.96 | $130.46 |
| 12 months left | $539.91 | $512.91 | $449.91 | $413.91 | $260.91 |
| 18 months left | $809.87 | $769.37 | $674.87 | $620.87 | $391.37 |
| 24 months left | $1.079.82 | $1.025.82 | $899.82 | $827.82 | $521.82 |
| 30 months left | $1.349.78 | $1.282.28 | $1.124.78 | $1.034.78 | $652.28 |
| +30 months left | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
ADT Equipment Ownership
Throughout your contract, you are essentially renting ADT equipment from ADT.
Once the contract expires, ADT has the authority to remove, deactivate, or leave its equipment on the property.
If you installed your own security equipment at your house before signing a contract with ADT, that equipment would continue to belong to you even after the contract expires.
ADT Theft Protection Guarantee
The ADT alarm system may occasionally sound without cause, but it may also do so to protect you from a genuine threat.
So, if you are a victim of an actual burglary, ADT will cover up to $500 of your landlord’s insurance costs. This demonstrates ADT’s confidence in their system to keep your house safe and their willingness to help if mistaken.
Also, if ADT calls the police to take action during a false alarm, they will take full responsibility for the state’s charges in cases where the equipment was defective or incorrectly installed by the technicians.
Conclusion
Breakups are never easy, but if your home security system isn’t working for you, it’s best to call it quits.
ADT expects and invests in long-term partnerships that last two to three years. If you need to get out of that relationship, there are two ways to terminate an ADT contract, regardless of the reason for your decision — if your contract is active and older than 6 months, you have to pay the fee. Otherwise, you can use the 6-month money-back guarantee and end the contract under the condition of faulty unrepairable equipment. .
ADT offers a money-back guarantee — free cancellation—in case of a faulty unfixable security system discovered during the first six months of service.
However, after that, you have to pay the cancellation fee if you want to end an ADT contract, which is 75% of the remaining services.
