Your Security Installer Went Out of Business: What to Do in the First Two Weeks

That's stressful, but it's a common spot to be in, and it doesn't need a rushed decision. Most of the first two weeks is looking, writing things down and asking the right people. You don't need to buy anything or reset anything.

What you need

• A phone for taking photos.
• Any paperwork you can find: contracts, invoices, proposals, warranty cards, drawings.
• A shared note or spreadsheet. Don't write passwords, PINs or door codes in it.
• About an hour a day for the first few days, then less.

Days 1 to 2: find out what's still running

1. Call the alarm monitoring company directly, if you have an alarm. Look for the company name on a contract, an invoice, a sticker or the keypad. Ask whether your account is active, who the account holder is, and who is on the call list. Write down what they tell you. Don't assume the installer's closing changed anything, and don't assume it didn't.
2. Check what you can still see. Open the camera app on your phone. Which cameras show live video? Can you open recorded video from yesterday? Write down what works and what doesn't. This is a list, not a repair.
3. Check what still opens. Have someone try a fob, card or phone credential at the front door and one other door. Write down what works.
4. If you see smoke or fire, smell burning, or find water near powered equipment, leave the area and call 911 or emergency services first. Then call us.
   
   Fire alarm panels are different. If one is beeping or showing a trouble message, call your fire alarm company. Don't silence or reset it.

Days 3 to 7: find out who owns what

This is the step that surprises people most. Many cloud systems were set up under the installer's email address, or a former manager's, and not yours.

1. List every system you have. Common ones are cloud access control (Brivo, for example), cloud video (Eagle Eye Networks, for example), an alarm app (Alarm.com, for example), a video intercom app (ButterflyMX, for example), a recorder with a phone app, and a mobile credential service.
2. For each one, write down the email address the account was set up under, and who has logged in recently. Don't write the password. If you're not sure which email it is, that's useful to know too.
3. Look at what logging in would take. For Brivo Access, Brivo's FAQ says to use the Forgot Password link on the login page, and notes that if your account uses single sign-on, you reset through your company's IT identity provider. If the email on an account is one you can't reach, stop there. Don't try to guess your way in. If you're a PAX customer, we can change or add Brivo admin emails. If you're not, call us and we'll talk through your options. See our guide on Brivo lockouts.
4. Check who is an administrator. HID, for example, says technical support questions go to your access control integrator or the vendor where you bought the service. That's a good reminder that a missing installer can mean nobody to call, so know which of your systems have an administrator account and who holds it. Also note that mobile credentials live in a separate HID portal, so ask who has that login too.
5. Look for the "last changed by" history. Brivo's FAQ says that in Brivo Access, a Journal Report shows a full audit trail of every administrative action, with a timestamp and the administrator's name. If you can log in, that tells you who last made changes. If you can't, keep this in mind for later.

Days 3 to 7: photograph and list what you have

1. Take photos of equipment labels, but only from the outside. Cameras you can reach from the floor, the front of a recorder, a keypad, a reader, a panel door. Capture the model number and serial number if they're printed where you can see them. Don't open any panel, cabinet or recorder, and don't unplug or move anything. If a label is inside, leave it for the walkthrough.
2. Note where things are. Write the room names: "back office," "basement closet," "roof." Add a few words about anything that doesn't work, like a camera that's been dark for months.
3. Collect paperwork. Contracts, warranty cards and old invoices tell a new provider what you own and what was promised. Check them for a monitoring company name, a billing name and any renewal date.

Days 8 to 14: line up a second pair of eyes

1. Ask a new provider to walk the site with you. Bring your list, your photos and your questions. Our fill-in inventory sheet is a ready-made format for that list. Ask what's supported, what can be kept and what should change. Our guides on whether your system is still supported and on reusing existing cameras and readers cover what to ask.
2. Ask how the switch would be planned. A good plan minimizes disruption, and says what will be offline and when. Be wary of anyone who promises nothing will ever go down.
3. Decide on the order of work after the walkthrough, not before. Buying new equipment first can leave you with new parts that don't work with what's already there.

What a manufacturer can and can't do for you

Manufacturers often keep supporting their products after the installer is gone, but the rules depend on the maker and the model. Axis, for example, says it offers support and repair service for discontinued products until six years after the discontinuation date (five years for hardware shipped before April 1, 2020), and defines its limited hardware warranty as running to the original purchaser. That's one maker's policy, so check the one for your equipment. The model number on the label is the key to looking it up.

If you'd rather not do it alone

If you're holding a system with no installer, call PAX at (855) 440-5353 or email info@paxsecurity.com. You can also reach us through https://paxsecurity.com/contact-us. Tell us what you've found so far and we'll talk through what to do next. Our System Takeover page explains how we assess what can be reused and plan the transition to minimize disruption.

Sources

• PAX Security, System Takeover: https://paxsecurity.com/services/system-takeover
• PAX Security, What Happens to Your Building's Security When You Switch Property Managers: https://paxsecurity.com/learn/security-system-property-manager-transition
• PAX Security, 7 Signs Your Security System Is Out of Date: https://paxsecurity.com/learn/signs-security-system-out-of-date
• Brivo support, Brivo Access Frequently Asked Questions: https://support.brivo.com/s/article/Brivo-Access-Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQ
• HID Global, HID Mobile Access Frequently Asked Questions (PLT-02085, Rev. C.8, April 2026): https://doc.origo.hidglobal.com/faq/portal/HID_Mobile_Access_FAQ.pdf
• Axis Communications, General support policy after discontinuation date: https://www.axis.com/support/warranty/general-support-policy-after-discontinuation-date
• Accessed 2026-11-02. Vendor pages change, so check the current page before you follow a step.