Nuisance neighbour's car alarm - who do you call? 5 April 2006 at 8:53PM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 7 replies 62.6K views

ribenagirl

Can anyone help? The car alarm on a car up our street goes off repeatedly for no reason, most recently 5.25am this morning, and again just now.

I'm fed up of having our sleep interrupted and have started to keep a record of exactly when it's happening.

The people who own the car don't even bother to get up and switch it off - they just let it wake up everyone else in the street!

I don't feel able (being a girl, and heavily pregnant) to go and tackle them about it myself and my hubby sleeps through anything so is worse than useless!!!

Who are you meant to complain to if you want something done about it? Could anyone suggest to me what I need to do next? Thanks

Nile

Hello ribenagirl


Sorry to hear about your disturbed sleep etc.

Have you heard the news recently about Fixed Penalty Notices which will be issued by the council for littering etc?

Local authorities have a duty to deal with any noise which they consider to be a 'statutory nuisance'. I've taken this information from this web site.

You've done exactly the right thing by keeping a record of the noise events, now get in touch with your council.

Good luck

Nile

ribenagirl

Thanks so much, Nile - hubby thought it was the police that would deal with it but I wasn't convinced which is why I thought I'd check, but I am sure there will be someone at the council who can help. I've had a look at the link you posted and fixed penalty notices will cover domestic noise at unsociable hours so that could perhaps be the solution?

I am off to sneak (or as much as you can sneak when you've got a big baby bump ) down the road now to take down the registration number - I'm sure they'll be able to find out who owns it.

Nile

Glad to help.;)


I'd be even more sneaky:D ............I'd set my alarm clock extra early and keep a vigil by the window........waiting and watching for someone to get in the nuisance car. Then you'll know their address and not get the standard "we're not allowed to give out confidential information" reply from the council, if you only have the car registration information.

Regards

Nile

Lorian

ribenagirl wrote:

I don't feel able (being a girl, and heavily pregnant) to go and tackle them about it myself and my hubby sleeps through anything so is worse than useless!!!

I guess an anonymous note left on the windscreen might help, is quick, and not too confrontational. A nice passive one first:

"Dear sir, you may not be aware that you car alarm goes of at random times during the night, disturbing our sleep. I wonder if you could get it tested. thanks."

Put it in a plastic bag incase it rains, pop under drivers side windscreen wiper. He'll think he's got a ticket!

ChemicalBrother_2

I'd agree with Lorian but add that the alarm is effectively useless as when it goes off no one expects it to have been broken into and so they (try their best) to ignore it. It's the car alarm equivalent of the boy who cried wolf!

I know if my neighbour's car alarm kept going off in the middle of the night (and they were never in a rush to switch it off) I sure as hell wouldn't give two hoots if I witnessed some thiefing person breaking into it.

ribenagirl

Thanks you guys! Well, thought you might like to know the latest...last night after I posted, I went to bed and after about 11.30 the car alarm stopped going off so me and the bump went to sleep. Then at 1.40am it started up again and went on for the next 20 minutes so I woke up the hubby and told him that if he didn't go and do something I'd go myself in my nightie

At this point, he got up and went down the road and hammered on the door outside which the car was parked on the offchance that it was the right one. Sadly, he'd picked the right door and he managed to get the car owner out of bed, he'd been fast asleep the poor thing who claimed that he 'hadn't heard it go off' (hmmm) and 'oh yeah, it's playing up again' (really, you don't say??)

Anyways, the hubby told him in a neighbourly kind of way that if he didn't sort it out we would contact Environmental Health to come and sort HIM out!

Sooo....I have rung Environmental Health today and got their out of hours number, any more problems and I'll be calling them up so they can pay him a little visit And in the meantime, I'm expecting a brick through my Mini's window!! Thanks all for your advice and support, it's much appreciated xx

Lorian

If it's an older car It's possible that the internal ultrasonic sensors are being set off by the recent winds blowing in through open dashboard air-vents. As soon as the winds die down it may go away (or the guy shuts the vents).