Noise

 
 

Alarms

Car and house alarms

If a car alarm has been going off for more than five minutes we have the legal right to turn it off. 

An audible intruder alarm (ie not a silent alarm which automatically contacts the police), has to have been active for more than twenty minutes before we can take action.

 

Process

There is a certain procedure we have to go through to turn the alarm off.  First, we have to serve a "noise abatement notice" directly to the owner/occupier or, if they cannot be found, the notice is placed on carthe car or on the property.

This notice means you have one hour to deactivate the alarm. 

If this is not done, a specialist can be called in at your expense. We will take every care not to cause damage to your vehicle or property and try not to enter it to turn off the alarm.

In some cases, we may have to tow your vehicle away or change the locks on your house.

We will recover our costs and in some cases, may prosecute. A successful prosecution could lead to fine, but we prefer to use informal methods where possible.

alarm keypadOnce we have switched off the alarm we will make sure that the house or car is left secured. The police will be informed of any action we take so as you can be kept informed.

 

 

You can reclaim your vehicle by showing your driver's licence and vehicle registration documents to the manager of the car pound.

If the locks have been changed, the owners/occupiers can claim new keys by presenting themselves at City Hall, Victoria Street, with valid identification and proof of ownership or occupation of the property.

We aim to:

  • always attempt to find the owner or occupier of the property or property
  • give the owner or occupier a reasonable time to deactivate the alarm
  • take care not to cause damage to the property or vehicle
  • never leave a property or vehicle unsecured after we have entered it
  • take the most appropriate action to minimise disturbance to residents
  • make every effort to inform the owner or occupier of our actions.

 

fire alarmFire alarms

For health and safety reasons the 24 hour noise team cannot deactivate a sounding fire alarm. If you hear a fire alarm please call the emergency services. The fire brigade can enter, check the building and reset the alarm.

 

  • If you want to complain about noise occurring now – please call the 24 Hour Hotline on 020 7641 2000.
  • If you would like to report noise from licensed premises please use our "report a noise problem" form.
  • If you would like to comment on our noise service please use the comments form.