Guide
Your First Month With Vivint: Bills, Permit, Insurance and App Setup
The first 30 days with Vivint decide how well the system serves you: you have 3 business days to cancel, the first monitoring bill arrives about a month ahead of the period it covers, most cities expect an alarm permit within days, and your insurer needs the certificate of installation before it applies a discount. This guide lists the 8 things to do in order, then explains billing, permits and insurance, and the app setup.
Updated by thevivint.com, an independent Vivint Authorized Dealer.
Free Vivint quote for your address. Installation is currently free for new customers.
The 8 Things to Do in 30 Days
Do these 8 things in order; the first 3 have deadlines.
In order:
- Day 1 to 3: read the agreement; the 3-day cancellation window closes after the third business day.
- Day 1 to 7: register the alarm with your city if it requires a permit; some cities fine unregistered alarms from the first false alarm.
- Week 1: add every household member in the app with their own code and the verbal passcode they will give the monitoring centre.
- Week 1: check the emergency contact list at account.vivint.com and put the person most likely to answer first.
- Week 2: download the certificate of installation from the Account Center and send it to your insurance agent.
- Week 2: set the first automations, such as locks on arming and the thermostat setback.
- Week 3: run a full system test from the panel.
- Week 4: check the first bill and the Fortiva financing statement, which arrive separately.
How Billing Works
Vivint invoices monitoring one month in advance, so the first bill covers the month ahead; equipment financing is billed separately by Fortiva Retail Credit with its own due date, and you can choose a billing date between the 1st and 31st in the Account Center.
Paper statements cost $1 from Vivint and $2 from Fortiva, so set both to paperless. The financing page explains the Fortiva terms.
Permit and Insurance
Most cities require an alarm permit within days of installation and fine unregistered alarms, and most insurers take 5 to 15% off a homeowners policy once they have the certificate of installation.
The service areas pages list permit rules by city, and the insurance discount guide shows where to download the certificate.
App Setup
Set 4 things in the app during the first month: users and codes, the automations that run when you arm and disarm, camera notification rules so only people trigger alerts, and the Stay versus Away habit for nights.
The arm modes guide covers Stay, Away, and the entry delay, and the passcode guide explains the 3 codes.
The 120-Day Warranty
Everything the technician installed is covered for 120 days, so report any device that misbehaves in the first month and the fix is free; after 120 days a service visit costs $99 unless you have the $9.99 a month Complete Protection Plan.
The warranty guide lists what is excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions
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