Moving With a Security System: What Each Provider Lets You Do
Whether your security system moves with you depends almost entirely on how it was installed. DIY wireless systems (SimpliSafe, Ring, ADT Self Setup) pack up and reinstall at the new address with an account update. Professionally installed systems are harder: ADT says pro installed equipment cannot come with you and contracts are tied to the home's location, while Vivint publishes a moves program that can relocate its equipment. The expensive mistake is treating a move as a cancellation mid-contract, which with ADT can trigger a charge of 75% of remaining monthly fees.
Figures researched 2026-08-19; each source below carries its access date. Prices change; treat any price here as "as of" its date.
The install type decides everything
Every mainstream system falls into one of two camps, and the moving experience follows from that split, not from the brand's marketing.
Self installed wireless systems travel. Sensors are adhesive-mounted, the base station plugs in anywhere, and monitoring follows your account. SimpliSafe publishes a full moving workflow and offers a mover's kit with packaging and fresh adhesives. Ring documents its process in the app: update the address, temporarily switch professional monitoring to self monitoring during the change, then re-enable it. ADT's own support pages confirm the same logic for its Self Setup line: if you set up the base yourself, you may be able to pack your devices and take them with you.
Professionally installed systems mostly do not. ADT is explicit: if your system was professionally installed, you will not be able to bring it with you, and monitoring contracts are typically tied to the location of the home. Vivint is the exception among pro install providers in publishing a program to physically move its equipment.
There is also a third path both ADT and SimpliSafe document: leave the system for the next occupant. ADT's movers line can discuss transferring the system to the incoming resident, and SimpliSafe describes removing your cameras and smart locks from your account so the new owner can activate the remaining system on theirs. ADT's deals page also says that if you move into a home with a working ADT system already installed, ADT can reactivate it if you call, which is worth knowing from the buyer's side of a move too.
Provider by provider: rules, phone lines, and timing
All details below are from each provider's official moving and policy pages as of August 2026.
| Provider | Can equipment move? | Contract implication | Official line | Contact timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADT (pro install) | No, per ADT support | In most cases the existing contract must be dealt with; movers line discusses options and exclusive savings on a new-home system | (866) 321-4238 | at least 30 days before moving |
| ADT (Self Setup) | Yes, pack and reinstall | One month minimum monitoring, no term to buy out | same movers line | 30 days recommended |
| SimpliSafe | Yes, full or partial; mover's kit offered | No contract; schedule the address change with support | 1-888-692-0229 | before the move, to schedule the address switch |
| Vivint | Yes, via published moves program: move it yourself, professional move service, start fresh, or defer reinstallation | Every Vivint system carries required 24/7 monitoring; no move fee is published, so terms are set on the call | 800-216-5232 | at least 2 weeks before moving |
| Ring | Yes, DIY | No term contract; update address in app, monitoring toggles to self monitoring during the change | in-app process | at the move |
Two compliance details people miss. First, alarm permits: both Ring and SimpliSafe note that your new city may require its own alarm permit for monitored service, so the old permit does not follow you. Second, monitoring address accuracy: Ring states an accurate address is required for professional monitoring and warns against entering a false location, which matters if you are tempted to delay the update; dispatch goes to the address on file.
The cost traps and the checklist
Trap 1: canceling mid-contract instead of calling the movers line. ADT's terms allow a 75% charge on remaining monthly fees for early termination of the 36 month contract. Its moving page says most moves do involve addressing the existing contract, but it routes movers to a dedicated line with published exclusive savings, so call before assuming you owe the full buyout. At $59.99/mo with 24 months remaining, that clause works out to about $1,080, which is exactly the kind of number the movers line exists to avoid.
Trap 2: forgetting financed equipment. Vivint customers who cancel rather than move service still owe any outstanding equipment financing balance per Vivint's cancellation policy. Moving the service instead of canceling avoids crystallizing that balance alongside a termination fee.
Trap 3: a protection gap at the new home. Between pack-up and reinstall, nobody is monitoring either home. If dispatch matters to your household, schedule the address change so coverage starts the day you get keys.
The checklist, condensed from the providers' own pages: notify the provider on their published timeline (30 days for ADT, 2 weeks for Vivint, before the move for SimpliSafe); update emergency contacts and phone numbers; check the new city's permit requirements; retest every sensor after reinstalling; and send your insurer an updated monitoring certificate, since both ADT and SimpliSafe note monitored systems can earn homeowner's insurance discounts.
A move is also the one natural moment to rebid the whole service, since you are re-signing or re-installing anyway. Baseline prices are in home-security-cost-per-month, and our quote tool pulls quotes from professional monitoring providers for the new address through one short questionnaire, so you can compare staying with your provider against starting fresh.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I take my ADT system to my new house?
- Only if it is a Self Setup system you installed yourself, per ADT's support pages. Professionally installed ADT equipment stays; ADT tells movers to call (866) 321-4238 at least 30 days ahead to handle the contract and set up the new home, and says relocating customers may be eligible for exclusive savings.
- Do I have to pay ADT's early termination fee if I move?
- ADT's moving FAQ says that in most cases the existing contract must be dealt with when you move, since contracts are tied to the home's location, but it explicitly directs customers to call to avoid early cancellation fees. What that resolution looks like is arranged case by case through the movers line.
- How does moving work with SimpliSafe?
- You take the system with you. SimpliSafe offers a mover's kit with packaging and fresh adhesives, has support schedule your monitoring address change in advance, and publishes reinstall steps for the new home. There is no contract, so there is nothing to buy out.
- Does Vivint charge to move a system?
- Vivint's moves page lists four options (move it yourself, professional move service, start fresh with new equipment, or defer reinstallation) and directs customers to call 800-216-5232 at least two weeks before moving. It does not publish a flat move fee, so pricing is set on that call, and every Vivint system purchase carries required 24/7 monitoring.
- Do I need a new alarm permit after moving?
- Possibly. Ring states you may need to apply for a new permit when professional monitoring is re-enabled at a new address, and SimpliSafe's moving guide tells customers to check permit requirements at the new location, since some police and fire departments require one for monitored systems. Permits are municipal, so they do not transfer between cities.
Sources
- ADT: professionally installed systems cannot be brought along; self setup systems may be packed and taken; contracts typically tied to home location and in most cases must be addressed; call (866) 321-4238 at least 30 days ahead; exclusive savings for movers; transfer to new occupant possible; insurance discount and monitoring certificate guidance; moving checklist items: https://help.adt.com/article/Moving-Take-Us-with-You (accessed 2026-08-19)
- ADT early termination: 75% of remaining monthly charges on the 36 month contract: https://www.adt.com/about-adt/legal/residential-terms-and-conditions (accessed 2026-08-19)
- ADT can reactivate a still-working ADT system in a home you move into, by phone: https://www.adt.com/deals (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SimpliSafe moving options: take all or part of the system, mover's kit via 1-888-692-0229, schedule address change with support, permit check and monitoring certificate steps, leave-behind process (remove cameras and smart locks so the new owner can activate): https://support.simplisafe.com/articles/moving-support/im-moving-what-options-do-i-have-for-my-simplisafe-system (accessed 2026-08-19)
- Vivint moves program: four published options, call 800-216-5232 at least 2 weeks before moving; no move fee published; all Vivint system purchases include required 24/7 monitoring: https://www.vivint.com/moves (accessed 2026-08-19)
- Vivint cancellation: financed equipment balance still owed after cancellation: https://support.vivint.com/article/Policy-Cancellation (accessed 2026-08-19)
- Ring moving process: update address in app, professional monitoring switches to self monitoring during the change and can be re-enabled, accurate address required for monitoring, new permit may be required at the new address: https://ring.com/support/articles/lqv9a/Moving-with-your-Ring-devices (accessed 2026-08-19)
- ADT Self Setup monitoring one month minimum (no term to buy out): https://www.adt.com/own-vs-rent-security/self-setup (accessed 2026-08-19)
- SimpliSafe plans have no contracts (nothing to buy out when moving): https://support.simplisafe.com/articles/alarm-event-monitoring/what-are-the-service-plan-options (accessed 2026-08-19)