Hi everyone! I’m moving at the start of the year and decided I don’t want to bring ADT with me to the new house. Is there a way to cancel my contract without penalties? Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!
ADT contracts are notoriously hard to cancel. I only managed to cancel mine because they were violating a local ordinance, and I threatened to sue them for the fines if they didn’t remove the system.
Usually, they’ll make you either move the system to your new home or roll the contract into the sale of your current home. Those are the only options I know of.
@Skylar
One trick I’ve heard is to say you’re moving to California. They’ll let you cancel, but you’ll still need to pay for the hardware.
I doubt they’ll let you cancel easily. There was a case where a guy’s house was destroyed by a hurricane before the system was even installed, and ADT still wouldn’t let him out of the contract until the news got involved.
This is a forum. I think you meant to contact ADT customer service directly.
Chen said:
This is a forum. I think you meant to contact ADT customer service directly.
Yeah, OP asking the internet instead of ADT is kind of funny.
You can often cancel an ADT contract if you’re moving to another state, but it depends on the situation. ADT contracts are tied to the location where the system is installed. They might waive fees if you set up a new contract at your new home. Call customer service to explore your options.
@Zayden
That’s not entirely true. If you move and don’t sign a new contract, they usually charge you the remaining balance of your current contract. There are exceptions for military deployments or moving to a nursing home, but you’ll need to provide documentation for that.
@Jory
We moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and didn’t have to pay anything. ADT told us to leave the equipment at the old house, and that was it. Maybe it varies by state or depends on local laws.
@Zayden
It could be a state law thing. Did the new owner of your house take over the contract? That might have helped.
Jory said:
@Zayden
It could be a state law thing. Did the new owner of your house take over the contract? That might have helped.
That’s possible. We didn’t follow up, but we were under contract at the time and had a new system installed at the new house. Maybe the new owner continuing the service made it easier for us.
I don’t think they’ll waive it unless it’s for military deployment or something similar.
You might want to consider setting up a self-monitoring system at your new house. With those, you can take the equipment with you if you move, and you won’t need to sign a new contract each time.
Jory said:
You might want to consider setting up a self-monitoring system at your new house. With those, you can take the equipment with you if you move, and you won’t need to sign a new contract each time.
Yeah, I’m thinking of switching to a self-monitoring system. We don’t really use the monitoring service anyway.
@Vesper
That’s a good idea. Just keep in mind:
- If you still owe money for your current equipment, you’ll need to pay that off.
- Monitored systems can be helpful for fire or life safety reasons.
- Sometimes ADT will waive the cancellation fee if you switch to their self-install system. That could be worth asking about.
Hope this helps while you prepare for the move!
Thanks for all the input! I’ll give them a call and see what my options are.
ADT is notorious for locking people into contracts. They’ll likely tell you to move the system to your new house at your expense. They’re like the gym memberships of alarm systems—once you’re in, it’s hard to get out without paying penalties.
@Paxton
Yeah, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but I regret it now!
I had ADT for seven years and moved twice. Each time, they made me restart the three-year contract at the new house. When I tried to cancel, they wanted over $1,000. It was a nightmare.
Jai said:
I had ADT for seven years and moved twice. Each time, they made me restart the three-year contract at the new house. When I tried to cancel, they wanted over $1,000. It was a nightmare.
That’s exactly what I’m worried about. I’ll call and see how much it’ll cost to cancel before deciding.