My neighbour's house alarm has been going off since lunchtime yesterday

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I have such a headache at this stage that even my teeth are hurting. Earplugs and hats do little to ease the torment. Suggestions please, I'm becoming demented?

― Lara (Lara), Sunday, 9 April 2006 16:57 (twenty years ago)

~~Set the house on f~~

Call someone? His/her family? Fire brigade? Cops?

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 9 April 2006 16:59 (twenty years ago)

Burgle the place--it's obvious that nobody is paying attention.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:00 (twenty years ago)

call the cops

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:04 (twenty years ago)

I have called:

1. Alarm company - no longer exists.
2. Cops - no keyholder on record and can do nothing.
3. Local council - not their responsibility.
4. Called in to neighbours on other side - no one home.

I don't know the couple and the alarm is only going off inside the house, which means it's a thousand times worse for me but no one across the street can hear anything. It seems to be ringing froom the cupboard under their stairs and has been going for a good 18 hours now and I'm scared they're on holiday....

Someone please suggest some sensible way of dealing with this?

― Lara (Lara), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:06 (twenty years ago)

Patrick otm

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:12 (twenty years ago)

try the citizens' advice bureau. seriously. although they won't be open tonight, natch.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:20 (twenty years ago)

Hope that the battery will run out soon? Or, if it isn't battery-operated, call the electricity company and ask them to cut the power to that house for a couple of seconds and hope it doesn't reactivate?

Get the key under the mat/flower pot/on the window sill, turn it off?

Break in, turn it off?

Wait until their plant-water-giver shows up in about a week?

Cops - no keyholder on record and can do nothing.
Can't you officially complain about the noise either?

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 9 April 2006 17:21 (twenty years ago)

Do you know where the neighbors are? Because this will probably go on until they get back.

Call the cops and say that there's an old lady who lives there and she may have fallen and can't get up.

― Dave AKA Dave (dave225.3), Sunday, 9 April 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

If you feel adventurous you can mess with their power meter. They're pretty simple devices.

If you're really fed up just smash it.

― WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot (unclejessjess), Sunday, 9 April 2006 18:45 (twenty years ago)

Call the cops again and tell them you will break in and turn it off yrself if they don't do soemthing. Seriously - you have to get tough on this or they will just hope it'll go away. Also don't take no for an answer from the council - they should have an anti-noise person 24 hrs a day. Basically I;ve found that the first call will generally be palmed off 'cos they're thinking we don't want to trek out there and sort this when it's probably gonna stop soon, the second call when you get teary and angry is the one that counts.

I was plagued by a factory alarm that kept going off and just wandered into the factory to find someone. No-one around. The police came said "we can't do anything". Left. So I threw a brick at it. That's what alarms do to people. They certainly don't deter burglars (actually that's not quite true - they do deter some burglars).

I sympathasise a lot - it shouldn't take threats to get something done but...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

But don't actually break in. 'Cos that'll just end up like some bad sitcom situation.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:13 (twenty years ago)

they should have an anti-noise person 24 hrs a day

Actually, the Anti-social Behaviour Act means that they don't have to. But it is their responsibility, so keep calling them until they do something. Anyway, the local authority can issue a fine - but since the owners aren't there, that's useless. So tell them you want the police to force entry and shut it off. For that, they have to obtain a warrant - but again, this doesn't require the property's owners to be present.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Sunday, 9 April 2006 19:44 (twenty years ago)

But doesn't the ASB act mean that making a noise during the wee small hours now constitutes an offence (which is why councils no longer need the 24hr hotline?) and so you should insist on the police coming over right now?

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Sunday, 9 April 2006 20:04 (twenty years ago)

tell the police that you saw someone breaking in

― charltonlido (gareth), Sunday, 9 April 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Actually, the Anti-social Behaviour Act means that they don't have to.

Isn't this just in the UK - Lara's in Ireland. (I am no legal expert).

FWIW, calling the police with the "I've seen an old lady in there before and she might be in danger" line sounds like the best idea so far.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 9 April 2006 20:06 (twenty years ago)

Brick the windows. Quite seriously, somebody'll turn up it the place actually gets damaged, and I reckon they deserve it.

― Smacked into a Trance (noodle vague), Sunday, 9 April 2006 21:11 (twenty years ago)

Won't someone think of the children? Their ears are bleeding.

― Krucky, Sunday, 9 April 2006 23:45 (twenty years ago)

ok if you can get into their garage, it's possible that the actual alarm panel is there (although it can also be in a closet or utility room). feel around on top or underneath for a key that may be taped. open panel, disconnect battery.

what was the name of the alarm company? it may have been bought out by a larger company. or, the system may be non-monitored if the company's out of business or the homeowner canceled their service when the company was bought or osmething.

in my experience working for an alarm company, police departments respond a lot better to "insane lady in trouble" complaints than normal alarm activations. but if they've already been out, they know this isn't the case.

― tehresa (tehresa), Monday, 10 April 2006 01:05 (twenty years ago)

i can't remember the last time i 'threw a brick'

― Ste (Fuzzy), Monday, 10 April 2006 07:58 (twenty years ago)

I do! You were wearing a crotchless vinyl catsuit and right after you falsetto meowed "MrrraaaoOOWWdd-d-don't KNOW about this!.." all fourteen yards of that throw snapped your wrist like a strawberry Pocky, NYEAGUH... but seriously, conventional wisdoms says try shorting out the alarm by putting your neighbor's house in the sink right?

― LeCoq (LeCoq), Monday, 10 April 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

just move house

― teh_kit says 'dont fight u nubs just run in teh instance!' (g-kit), Monday, 10 April 2006 10:49 (twenty years ago)

it can't still be going surely?

― Ste (Fuzzy), Monday, 10 April 2006 11:13 (twenty years ago)

has it spread?

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 10 April 2006 11:17 (twenty years ago)

oh noes, she's gone deaf!

LARA, IS IT STILL GOING? WHAT HAP? HOW DO?

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 10 April 2006 11:19 (twenty years ago)

http://www.drudgereport.com/siren.gifPARDON ME?!?!?http://www.drudgereport.com/siren.gif

― LeCoq (LeCoq), Monday, 10 April 2006 11:26 (twenty years ago)

Maybe she's gone and shorted out the blocks' electrical grid?

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:13 (twenty years ago)

Maybe she was arrested for breaking and entering by a really slow-to-respond security company.

― Dave AKA Dave (dave225.3), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:41 (twenty years ago)

Maybe she said "fuck it", put a beat underneath the alarm and started charging people an entrance fee for her Sunday night rave party.

― Dan ("A Trip To Trumpton" Remix! AWESOME) Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 10 April 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Tough to believe this but it has just been turned off AFTER FOUR FULL DAYS. Police would do nothing, council would do nothing, elecricity supply was in the house so couldn't shut that off, alarm company that manages the house is out of business. Eventually tracked down land register and got contact details of landlord (friends in banks who'll give out details are the best) who was in Italy. He gave contact details for property managers who refused to enter property without tenants' permission for two days until I got a solicitor friend to have a *letter* hand-delivered to their offices today threatening legal action.

I had to move out in the interim as it was so loud and dementia inducing. These have been four pretty harrowing days, really.

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

What are you going to do when the tenants get back? Kill them and then introduce yourself?

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:36 (twenty years ago)

I don't think a mailbox full of feces would be an inappropriate gesture here.

― Dan (With A Greeting Card) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:40 (twenty years ago)

Have these guys play in your house for four days straight:

http://www.ultra-pop.org/images/band/alarm.jpg

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:40 (twenty years ago)

Laurence I believe you have just defined a new high in the 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' stakes.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:43 (twenty years ago)

No one can resist their rallying cry!

― laurence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

I still think you should throw a brick through their window.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:39 (twenty years ago)

... and activate their burglar alarm? Good idea, Thermo.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:32 (twenty years ago)

or maybe have U2 come and play "i threw a brick through a window" for four days?

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 20:37 (twenty years ago)

I meant once they got back.

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 20:37 (twenty years ago)

Oh! Good idea, Thermo.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:35 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.

My neighbour's house alarm has been going off since lunchtime yesterday - what to do?