The Noise Service is regularly contacted by the public about noise nuisance from intruder alarms that ring constantly, or on regular occasions.
In many cases, the alarm has been triggered accidentally. If your home or business is fitted with an intruder alarm and it misfires when you are out, you risk annoying your neighbours and paying the costs of having the alarm silenced by Noise Service officers.
If you are bothered by noise from intruder alarms we can help. See our Bothered by Noise? page, under the main navigation list on the left side of this page, for more information.
If your house or business is fitted with an intruder alarm we encourage you to notify the Noise Service to register keyholder details.
Please use the online form to register your alarm, or call the Noise Team at the council on 020 7527 3258 for more information.
My alarm is linked to a call centre, do I need to register?
Yes, we still need details of your key holder as, if the alarm has malfunctioned, it may contact the call centre and we would still need to attend if we receive complaints.
Is my data held securely and will it be made available to anyone else?
The data will be held in line with the Data Protection Act on a secure database accessed only by Noise Team staff dealing with queries related to misfiring alarms.
What if my details change?
If any details change, please notify us as soon as possible.
Does this relate to car and fire alarms?
No, we are only interested in audible intruder alarms located in residential and business premises.
How can I prevent my alarm from misfiring?
The following measures will help to make sure that your alarm only goes off when it should:
Nominated keyholders are two people (not the occupier) who hold spare sets of keys to your property, so if necessary they can gain access to your property and reset the alarm.
If your alarm rings and proves to be a nuisance, the council will serve you with a Noise Abatement Notice and may have to break into your premises to disconnect the alarm.
We will then resecure the premises by changing the locks.
The council will charge for the officer time and the money spent in turning the alarm off. This could be as much as £600.
Failure to comply with the Abatement Notice is a criminal offence and the council can prosecute you.
If found guilty, you may have to pay a fine, which could be as much as £5,000 for residential premises, and £20,000 for commercial premises.
Page Last Updated: 06 October 2009