Before you pay for Martyn's Law help: a checklist

Lots of products and services have appeared since the Act was passed. Some are useful. Some promise more than anyone can. Here’s how to tell the difference, and what you can get for free.

Where things stand

The duties on venues are not in force yet. The SIA, which will regulate the law, expects them to start in spring 2027 and will confirm the date (SIA). There is time to prepare calmly.

What’s free

Telling the SIA about your venue. The SIA is building a free online service. You never need to pay anyone to notify for you (SIA).
Official guidance and training. The Home Office and the SIA publish free guidance, and ProtectUK offers free counter-terrorism guidance and learning.
Working out whether you’re in scope. The SIA plans a free scope tool. Our scope checker is free too, with no account needed.

Warning signs

A promise to make you “compliant”, or a certificate saying you are. The government has warned against paying anyone who claims to do this while the duties are not in force (written statement HCWS1515).
Claims to be approved or endorsed by the SIA or the Home Office. The government does not endorse any third-party Martyn’s Law product (HCWS1515).
A charge to notify the SIA for you. Notifying is free. You can authorise someone to submit it, but the legal responsibility stays with you (Home Office notification guidance).
Being told you must buy equipment or alter your building. For Standard Tier venues (200 to 799 people), the duty is about procedures and making sure people know them, so far as reasonably practicable (section 5).
Scare tactics. Invented deadlines, or large fines quoted to frighten you. The maximum penalty for a Standard Tier venue is £10,000 (section 18), and the SIA says it will regulate in a supportive, proportionate way (SIA).
A generic template with your name added. Good procedures name your own exits, rooms and people, and you should be able to change them.

Questions to ask before you pay

Does it link to the Act and official guidance for what it says, so you can check?
Where are your procedures stored, who can see them, and are they deleted if you leave? They describe how your building would respond to an attack, so they should be kept private.
Can you get everything out, such as a PDF of your procedures and records?
Is there a free option, and what does it cost each year after the first?
Who reviews and signs off the procedures? It should be you, not the software.

This applies to us too

Readybrief is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SIA, the Home Office, ProtectUK or the Martyn’s Law Campaign. We help you prepare, keep a record and show your reasoning. We can’t make anyone “compliant”, and we never charge for notification.