Faulty alarms

Car alarms and house alarms can be a useful deterrent, but they can occasionally cause serious noise nuisance due to faulty setting or false alarms.

If an alarm sounds continuously or intermittently to such an extent that noise nuisance is caused and the owner cannot be contacted within a reasonable period of time, we may have no option but to take formal action.

Make a complaint about a nuisance alarm

To make a complaint, fill in our online contact form or call us during office hours on 01403 215641

When reporting a troublesome alarm please tell us:

the exact address of the property, or the details of the location, make, model, colour and registration number of the vehicle
how long it has been going on for
how it has affected you
your name and contact details

If we decide to take action to silence an alarm we will need to hire a locksmith/alarm engineer and may need a Court warrant. The process can take several hours.

Make a noise nuisance complaint online

Action we can take

We may take the following action to silence car alarms:

Serve a noise abatement notice
Silence the alarm at the owner’s expense
Remove the vehicle at the owner’s expense

We may take the following action to silence house alarms:

Serve a notice on the occupier of the property
Disconnect the alarm at an outside box, or obtain a warrant to enter the property to disconnect the alarm, recovering any costs incurred from the occupier
Prosecute offenders for repeated offences through the Magistrates Court, which may lead to a fine of £5,000 for a private individual, or an unlimited fine for businesses

How to prevent noise nuisance from your own alarms

Follow these steps to prevent noise nuisance from your car alarm:

Install the alarm fully in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
Service the alarm regularly
Adjust the sensitivity appropriately
Ensure the sunroof and windows are closed when the alarm is activated
Ensure that the alarm’s cut-out device limits the time that the alarm sounds, and prevents it from re-triggering
Ensure that the DVLA has up to date registered owner information to enable the person to be contacted before formal action is taken

Follow these steps to prevent noise nuisance from your house alarm:

Make sure it meets relevant British Standards
Ensure the alarm is regularly serviced and properly maintained by a reputable contractor
Fit a device to stop the alarm sounding after 20 minutes
Appoint two keyholders for the property, preferably people who live within hearing distance of the alarm or who can attend in 20 minutes. Make sure they know when you will be away and check you will not be away at the same time, and show them how to stop the alarm