What can you do about a house alarm that WON'T STOP

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What can you do about a house alarm that WON'T STOP

19 posts & 16 voices | Started 3 years ago by coolhandluke | Latest reply from coolhandluke

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coolhandluke - Member

AHHHHHhhHhhHHhhh It went off for 5 hours last night, 4.55pm until 10.06pm It has been going off tonight since some time before 3.30pm and it is still ringing at 8pm it went off the day before for 40 minutes and the day before that for 20 minutes and a few days before that for 20 minutes and the day before that for 2 hours, and breathe..

All I really want to do it get my ladders and knock the box off the wall but I'll probably be arrested for criminal damage I want to get my hose pipe connect it to his outside tap and feed it into his letter box and flood his """"" house etc...

I have complained to the council and they have written a letter to the house but the chap obviously works away and hasn't been near his house for a while judging by the grass etc.

Can I legally attack his alarm box to make it stop and claim temporary insanity or something like that?

Posted 3 years ago #
simonfbarnes - Member

you don't need to damage it - just unscrew the cover and disconnect the sounder

Posted 3 years ago #
Onzadog - Member

My understanding is that alarm engineers are allowed to disconnect it and send a bill to the house owner. At least i think it was something like this that they guy was telling me when he fitted ours.

Posted 3 years ago #
druidh - Member

If it's being going off for that long, just break in, steal what you want 9wee in his shoes of course) and smash it on your way out. It's not like anyone is gonna notice now.

Posted 3 years ago #
sq225917 - Member

dead of night, expanding foam filler is your friend.

Posted 3 years ago #
Flaperon - Member

Umm, this house isn't in Rochdale, is it?

Posted 3 years ago #
Flaperon - Member

Umm, this house isn't in Rochdale, is it?

Posted 3 years ago #
coolhandluke - Member

not in Rochdale, near Wigan, can't you hear it.

Posted 3 years ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

simonfbarnes - Member

you don't need to damage it - just unscrew the cover and disconnect the sounder

I did this with one that was going off and annoying me - put the sounder thru the letterbox with a note saying next time I would turn it off with a hammer.

Wear ear protection when you do it - it really is simple to do. A screw to lift the cover and you will see the sounder - just disconnect the wires from it. No criminal damage as you haven't damaged it

Posted 3 years ago #
konabunny - Member

When I lived under a London council, they had the legal right to enter and turn off an alarm after X number of hours (and maybe get some sort of court order? not sure). They actually showed up very quickly (within an hour?) to listen for themselves, and guy arrived back after six hours.

Keep calling the council, keep your neighbours calling.

"No criminal damage as you haven't damaged it "

Ooh, I don't know about that - if it's not criminal damage (which is pretty broad e.g. chalking on public road has been found to be criminal damage ), I bet it's something else. Trespass too?

Posted 3 years ago #
grizzlygus - Member

Just press the reset button.

Posted 3 years ago #
ShinyRedOrange - Member

Air Rifle?

Posted 3 years ago #
simonk - Member

Ok it is a bit late now but here is what to do if it happens again.
The bell box should automaticly cut off after 20-30 mins (legal requirment) if it does not then contact your local council enviromental health department (number is in the council listings in your phone book) they will contract out a local alarm company to attend with the police and silence the box for good at the expense of the home owner
Hope this helps if it happens again or anyone else who has the same problems

SimonK

Posted 3 years ago #
djglover - Member

when I lived in a slightly dodgy are of Leeds my neighbour removed one with a sledghammer

Posted 3 years ago #
project - Member

Under the environment act or some such legislation, the owner of the property has to allow the alarm to go off for only 45 minutes and then switch to strobe, after this he is causing a statutory nuisance, and your next port of cal should be the local council, environmental health dept, they will then investigate, by comeing out, and will take action to silence the alarm, they will silence the alarm , by entering the property, and then send the home or property owner the large bill.
It worked for me when a large building opposites alarm kept going off.

Posted 3 years ago #
project - Member

Noise Pollution - Burglar Alarms
The Environmental Health Division has a set procedure for dealing with audible alarms. This procedure helps to ensure that we use every option available in tracking down the house-holder or premises owner and also demonstrates to a Magistrate that we are not taking formal action lightly.

Most complaints relate to alarms that fail to cut out after 20 minutes of activation or, those alarms that do switch off but then switch themselves back on again and sound either continuously or intermittently for long periods.

Once we have received a complaint about an alarm we try a number of information sources in efforts to track down the premises owner/occupier. This includes our own key holder database, the police and, where there is a number on the alarm box, the installer. We will also ask the person complaining for any information or details that they may have about the homeowner which could be useful to us during this search. There have been times when our search has led us to a mobile phone, holidaying with its owners in Spain!

Where we have not been able to contact the homeowner we will attend the premises and witness the alarm sounding; this has to be for a minimum period of 20 minutes. At the end of this time we are required to serve a formal notice (Abatement Notice) giving a 20-minute period by which the alarm must be deactivated. Of course, if we have been unable to locate the householder previously it is very rare that they arrive home during this period and put things right. During this 20 minute period we often spend our time knocking on doors and asking other neighbours whether they have any information that could help.

After this time we have to approach a Magistrate either directly through the Courts, or if the incident is outside officer hours, at home. We then provide evidence to the Magistrate that allows them to issue a warrant for an officer to gain entry into the property to disconnect the alarm. This does not necessarily mean entrance directly into the house or business, but may involve deactivation at the external alarm box on the wall.

To help us with disconnection we employ the services of carpenters, locksmiths and electricians; whom we call ultimately depends upon individual circumstances. We then take whatever means necessary to deactivate the alarm; we always have to ensure that a property can be suitably secured after our work and also that the person deactivating the alarm is not put under a health and safety risk.

Where it has been necessary to deactivate an alarm in this way, the householder or owner is charged for specialist and officer services; this can be in the region of £200.00.

Posted 3 years ago #
RudeBoy - Blocked

I **** hate alarms. Burglar alarms, car alarms all of them. Pointless **** things. They should be made illegal.

Make your property secure, don't rely on a box that makes loads of noise, and pisses all your neighbours off.

There was a car downstairs from me, one place I lived in. Every **** night, for about a week, the alarm would go off (probbly cats crawling under the car to keep warm). It would sound for 20-30mins or so, then stop for a minute. Then start up again.

Loads of us who lived in the block 'phoned the council. They did **** all. Then, we found out the bloke who it belonged to, lived right round the other side of the estate. He was asked nicely, to sort his alarm out, or park his car near his own house. Many people were losing loads of sleep avery night, and tempers had become frayed. The bloke responded with 'I park here, because it's more convenient. There's nothing wrong with my alarm'. Obviously just din't give a shit about anyone else's peace; it weren't keeping him awake at night.

One night, it went off, and I thought 'oh no, here we go again'. then I heard it disappearing, as the car was driven off.

The next day, a few streets away, I rode past the smoldering wreck of a BMW*.

We all got some sleep, after that...

* I cannot condone illegal activities.

Posted 3 years ago #
enfht - Member

As a concerned citizen ring 999 everytime it goes off

Posted 3 years ago #
NorthShaun - Member

Same thing happened to me once. Alarm going off on a rented, empty property across the road from me. Phoned the Police, who stated quite categorically that it was an "owner" issue, and they were trying to find the key holder (Burglar alarm going off = house full of burglars????) and wouldn't pay a house visit! I told them that I was going to knock the thing off the wall with a big hammer and put the phone down. 15 mins later the police turn up mob handed!

Posted 3 years ago #
coolhandluke - Member

RESULT

After another complaint email to the council complaining at 8pm last night about it ringing since before 3.30pm I recieved an email asking me to call the senior noise officer (or something) where I told him I was ay my wits end - had to sleep with ear plugs in - it finally went off at 5.30am this morning the chap said thay recieved a lot of complaints about the alarm that night. They came out this afternoon and thankfully it must have been going off again because the engineer they took with them cut it off.

RESULT

best bit is, the ignorant house owner will get a bill now for having his alarm cut off.

Another neighbour opposite the alarming house has asked the chap in question not to set his alarm until he gets it fixed, he set it anyway so deserves it.

Wish i was a right tea leaf now cos I'd turn his house over..... but I'm not like that.

Posted 3 years ago #

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