Auckland residents driven mad by faulty fire alarm disrupting their summer holidays

Residents of a Mt Albert apartment complex say they’ve been driven mad for six days by a faulty smoke alarm inside a neighbouring unit, with no clear way to get it silenced.

Lily, who lives next to the Wagener Place unit, said the alarm had been going off since December 29, leaving her and fellow residents exhausted.

She said the occupants of the unit have been absent for several weeks and nobody knows how to get hold of them.

The ordeal began on December 29, according to Lily, when a smoke alarm first started sounding. The following day, another neighbour called Fire and Emergency New Zealand, which attended and silenced the alarm.

The apartment complex where the smoke alarm has been going off since December 29. Photo / Supplied

However, the relief was short-lived. The alarm began sounding again later that same night.

On New Year’s Eve, a resident contacted Auckland Council Noise Control. Lily said an officer attended in person and advised neighbours to call Fire and Emergency again, which returned and turned the alarm off once more.

According to Lily, they were told not to continue calling emergency services because the situation was not considered an emergency. They were advised instead to contact the body corporate or property manager responsible for the apartment.

Lily had also called and emailed the complex’s former body corporate management company unaware the service agreement had lapsed six months prior.

Crockers Ltd confirmed it was the current body corporate manager and responded after it was alerted to the problem.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, the alarm sounded again. Lily said neighbours tried to tolerate the noise, reluctant to disturb emergency services, but by the following afternoon the sound had become unbearable.

Another neighbour called police, who suggested contacting Auckland Council Noise Control. Ultimately, Fire and Emergency silenced the alarm again.

Lily said she asked Fire and Emergency if the alarm could be permanently disconnected, but it said it wasn’t possible.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson confirmed crews were alerted to a fire alarm activation on two occasions at an apartment building in Mt Albert.

“Crews were called out at 6.34pm on 30 December and 12.32pm on 31 December. Both were false alarms.”

Yesterday, the alarm began sounding yet again. A video supplied to the Herald shows the complex with a loud alarm noise going off.

Lily told the Herald the issue was finally resolved just after midnight last night, when the council sent technical staff, accompanied by police, to deal with the alarm.

“The issue was resolved just at the edge of our breaking point, before it caused permanent damage to our hearing. My family and I are truly grateful,” Lily said.

A Crockers spokesperson said that they were alerted to the issue and did attempt to contact the resident of the unit.

“Our role is to advise the BC committee of their legal obligations under the Unit Titles Act and facilitate discussions with external providers where appropriate,” the spokesperson said.

“When we received an email from a resident at Wagener Place, we immediately attempted to contact the owner to remedy the issue. While the issue has been resolved, we will continue to work with the owner to understand the cause.”

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly named the complex’s former management entity Boutique Body Corporates Ltd as its current provider. The complex’s body corporate is now managed by Crockers Ltd. The article has since been updated.