A neighbour has set up a digital camera in his front window looking out to the street. We've seen it pointing only on to our property which borders on to a path used by schoolchildren and people coming to a parade of shops.
He can see the shops also by just moving the camera a fraction on the tripod. Does this contravene any regulations and is there anything we can do?
Can Your Neighbour Legally Use a Camera?
Your neighbour is generally within their rights to install CCTV or other recording devices on their own property. Many people do this for legitimate reasons: to deter burglars, record evidence of vandalism, or monitor antisocial behaviour near their home.
In many cases, individuals can use cameras to protect their property, but this is subject to legal limits on recording others. They may have experienced break-ins, damage to their car, or problems with people passing through the area. These are all reasonable grounds for setting up surveillance.
Before taking any action, it can help to understand why the camera is there. A brief, calm conversation with your neighbour might clear things up. The camera's field of view may extend beyond their own boundaries without them being aware of it.
Image and Photo Use Rights Checker (UK)
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Try our Image and Photo Use Rights Checker (UK) free, here on this site →When Camera Use May Become a Problem
Problems arise when a camera captures footage beyond your neighbour's property. If their system records your garden, driveway, or the inside of your home, this raises privacy concerns.
Domestic CCTV intended for private use may still trigger data protection obligations if the footage captures public spaces or neighbouring properties. Where a camera records images of people outside the owner's property, the person operating it may need to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This means they should:
- Have a lawful reason for recording, such as protecting their property from crime or preventing repeated trespass
- Tell people they are being recorded, usually with a sign
- Keep footage secure and not share it without good reason
- Delete recordings when they are no longer needed
The Information Commissioner's Office provides guidance on domestic CCTV use. Their website explains what responsibilities apply when cameras capture areas beyond your own property.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
What You Can Do About It
If you believe a neighbour's camera is recording your private space without justification, you have several options.
Start by speaking to your neighbour directly. They may be willing to adjust the camera angle or field of view. Many disputes are resolved this way without needing to go further.
If that does not work, you can raise a concern with the ICO. They may look into whether the camera operator is meeting their data protection obligations, though their involvement can be limited where complaints require legal determination or police intervention. You can also request any footage of yourself under subject access rights, though there may be exceptions where the data cannot be provided.
In some cases, persistent and targeted surveillance could amount to harassment. If someone is using cameras to intimidate or monitor you without reasonable cause, this may be a matter for the police.
Keeping Things in Perspective
Many domestic cameras are set up for security purposes. Your neighbour may simply want to protect their home rather than monitor you.
That said, you have a right to privacy in your own space. If a camera is clearly pointed at your property with no security justification, you are entitled to raise the matter. The ICO website and GOV.UK both offer practical guidance on your rights and the steps you can take.
My self and my wife have seen this and gone outside to say something but they quickly go inside. Then when my wife and myself go in the neighbours come back outside.
Recently thay have had cctv pointed at my garden .something isn't right there people. Need to keep eyes on them
Julie
He won’t leave. He’s an alcoholic and moody most of the time. He’s psychologically mentally abusing me. Where do I stand where the law is concerned? He doesn’t think he is wrong.
A private individual or company does not have to comply with The Human Rights Act - so how could the neighbours ever take action?
The only parties that have to comply with the HRA are government organisations, either governments, local councils or any other organisation working on behalf of the state.
I have a neighbour who we have lived next door to for 31 years. I grew up with their children and we have had a perfectly ok neighbourly relationship for many many years. I was involved in an accident 3 years ago and am unfortunately now permanently disabled. When the council installed a disabled bay outside my house, my neighbor lost his mind with rage. He still holds regular meetings at the end of my path trying to start up a campaign. He has made every effort with his complaints to the council to have the bay removed and claims I’m not disabled and that he will not “tolerate” a disabled bay being near his house. He has also not moved his car for 9 months as the council suggested they may move the bay a couple of feet towards his house (which has no dropped kerb) as there is a driveway the other side of my house. He has been on this campaign since last summer and has now instructed a solicitor to take us to court with bizarre claims that we are trespassing on a part of his back garden. He is mentally unstable.
Worryingly, he has put a camera next to his front door which clearly overlooks my front garden and particularly my disabled bay. He has taken a disliking to the vehicle I currently have there at present too.
His main motive is to build a case against me for the removal of the bay. I walk with a stick and cannot feel my entire right leg, and am in constant pain and on morphine etc, whilst holding down a full time professional job.
How can I make him stop filming me like this? I feel like a prisoner in my own home.
Help?
it overlooks the top of my fence and looks down the length of my patio,is this illegal please,my wife is 80 years old and it is stressher out
It is perfectly legal for neighbours to have CCTV today especially when neighbourhood disputes are so prevalent. If your neighbour has CCTV it will record 24/24 as that’s what it’s meant to do. Maybe your neighbour has a very good reason for needing to have it.
It may be a good idea to educate your children if they are scared on the acceptance of CCTV as cameras today are in most public places.
Also being disabled doesn’t provide people from exemption of the law.
What does the law say in this situation?
your info seems to be incorrect , as cctv cameras that are only on your property are fine .But when they exceed your property they come under the data protection act , that means that anybody can ask for 90days footage off there cctv and they have to produce it within 40 days.also they need your permission to have a camera overlooking your property law changes where made !
Am I breaking the law doing this and also do I need a security sign to let the neighbours know I'm recording at night
Any advise would be appreciated thank you
So alte last year we was that fed up we decided to start waving at the cameras, we now face harassment charges for waving at a camera that is pointing in our house, apparently the police are using the cctv footage as evidence.
All I would really like to know is who could have authorised the use of the camera,Derbyshire Police have been asked for a FOI request which they have returned but no mention of who would authorise the cameras.
CCTV cameras used on a domestic property MUST NOT capture images beyond the boundary of that property. They MUST NOT record images from a neighbours garden OR passers by on the street.
In December 2015, the Data Protection Law was updated to include domestic properties in the Data Protection Act, which means if your cameras are not restricted to the foundry's of your home, then it must be a registered system.
However, you will also be contreveining Article 8 of the Human Rights Act if you are recording images outside of the boundary.
Also on a final note, Audio Recording is not permitted on a domestic system and it is advised to turn it off.
on his land which I understand but recently i have had a few mixed words with him now he
has put a wide angle lens camra up in the rear of his garden which he says it's too keep an
eye on his dog which would be okay but the camra is intruding on to my garden and my
Lodges are not very happy, feel uncomfortable and won't go into the garden.
Is there anything I can do as I'm worried that my lodges will leave and they have been living
with me for many years and it's there home.
I saw a van outside my horrible neighbors house 3 days ago saying she was having cctv installed and she is in a council property. She is spying on me, but we do nothing wrong. Can I find out why she is making false claims against us? She's reportred us to social services, csa, everything I keep proving we are legit but she's hell bent on making our life hell
I should also add we do not get along and ever since I asked him to stop using my front garden as a dog toilet within 5 minute's of my putting on my bathroom or kitchen light he comes outside making a racket on the side path just underneath my windows - this happens even when his curtains are closed, it doesn't happen if I 'sneak' into my bathroom/kitchen in the dark and crawl on my hand and knees - and yes - after two years sometimes I will do that just for a sense of privacy.
I can only assume he uses the third camera to monitor my whereabouts BUT I could never PROVE that so my question is
could he not be forced to remove/reposition the third camera, bearing in mind it doesnt add to his security and chiefly monitors my first floor bathroom - a place a burglar could never materialize from but a room where people are often naked or semi-naked? He would not voluntarily remove it!
by direct observation on the part of the offender;
by operating equipment with the intention of enabling someone else to observe the victim;
by recording someone doing a private act, with the intention that the recorded image will be viewed by the offender or another person; or
by installing equipment or constructing or adapting a structure with the intention of enabling the offender or another person to observe a private act.
In all cases the observation, or intended observation, must be for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and must take place, or be intended to take place, without the consent of the person observed.
Charmaine Burnard.
they are spraying crack and other serious chemicals on our children in their school and worse, I had to see a 15 year child be thrown off a balcony from drug dealers,
We need to be allowed to wear cameras ,
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