Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it's up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in Saturday's paper.
This week's question
Sixteen years ago we had an intruder burglar alarm installed and we've been paying a maintenance charge ever since. This year it has risen to a crazy £158 and I'm now exploring other options. Can I get around paying this fee and do I really need an alarm at all? Do they really deter thieves or catch anyone? What do others do?
