The real cost of Martyn's Law compliance
Last reviewed:
For a standard-tier venue, the legal minimum can genuinely cost nothing in cash. Nothing has to be bought, licensed or hired to comply. The real cost is time, attention, and the confidence that you've read the guidance correctly, and that's a cost every route, free or paid, still has to deal with somehow.
The guidance says this directly
"It is not mandatory to use third-party products or services to comply with the Act's requirements."
Statutory guidance, para 6.7
We sell one of those products, and we're quoting that line anyway, because pretending otherwise would be exactly the kind of overclaim we've built this site to avoid. If you want to do this entirely by hand, using our free checklist and free template, that's a genuinely complete route to compliance for most standard-tier venues.
Three routes, honestly compared
| Cash cost | What it takes | The trade-off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY | £0 | Can take from a day to a few days for a straightforward, single-site venue | You carry the interpretation risk yourself: getting your capacity basis, procedures and documentation right is entirely on you |
| Software | Simple annual pricing, published at launch | A guided questionnaire produces your capacity record, responsible-person record and procedures document, kept current as things change | Removes most of the interpretation risk without the cost of a bespoke consultant engagement |
| Consultant | Varies widely, we won't invent a figure | Bespoke advice and site visits, typically for more complex situations | Can be genuinely worth it for complicated, multi-site or enhanced-tier premises; often disproportionate for a single straightforward standard-tier venue |
The DIY certainty problem
Doing it yourself for free is entirely valid, and the guidance is written in plain enough English that most venue operators can follow it. The honest trade-off is confidence: you're the one deciding whether your capacity method is defensible, whether your procedures are genuinely proportionate, and whether you've missed a nuance like the "from time to time" rule. None of that is hard, but all of it benefits from someone who's read the guidance closely checking your working, which is exactly the gap paid options are trying to close.
What genuinely drives cost up
A few situations legitimately push cost, whichever route you take, higher than a single straightforward venue: multiple sites under one responsible person, nested or shared premises like a shopping centre with many occupiers, and enhanced-tier premises, which carry a heavier vulnerability-assessment and measures duty than the standard tier. See the enhanced tier explained if that's your situation, and treat a consultant as more clearly proportionate the further you are from a single, simple site.
The hidden cost of over-buying
The more common mistake we see isn't underspending, it's overspending on things the law never asked for: CCTV, physical security upgrades, or paid accredited training, none of which are legal requirements at the standard tier. Spending on those isn't wrong if you have another reason to want them, but don't buy them because you were told Martyn's Law requires it, when it doesn't.
Where our service fits
We built the service for venues that want the DIY route's low cost without carrying all the interpretation risk alone: a guided questionnaire that produces your capacity record, responsible-person record and procedures document, written for your specific venue and kept current. It won't be right for every situation, particularly complex or enhanced-tier premises, where a consultant's bespoke judgement is genuinely worth paying for.
Start with the free checker to confirm your tier, or see how the service works if you'd like a guided route rather than doing it entirely by hand.
Common questions
Is there a government grant for Martyn's Law compliance?
We're not aware of one at the time of writing. If that changes, we'll update this page, but don't wait for a grant that hasn't been announced before starting your preparation.
Can I really do this for free?
Yes, for standard tier. Nothing has to be bought. Use the free checklist to work through what's needed and the free template to write it down. The real cost is your time and the confidence that you've interpreted the guidance correctly, not cash.
About this guide. Written by the Martyn's Law Plan team, based on the statutory guidance published under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. Last reviewed: . Read the official guidance on GOV.UK.
Sources: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025; Home Office statutory guidance (April 2026, updated May 2026) and supplementary documents. Paragraph references are to the statutory guidance. General information, not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.