CCTV can be a great tool and help you feel safe, but you must follow specific rules to install it in your home.
Getting permission for CCTV or a doorbell camera
You need our permission if the installation will alter or damage the fabric of the building (like making holes with screws or a drill). This is part of your tenancy agreement.
Use this form to request our permission to install CCTV or doorbell cameras .
Your camera must:
- be installed safely by a competent person.
- be fixed to anything you don't own
- have any other permissions obtaining planning permission when required.
Filming images outside your home
If you are filming outside the boundary of your home, you need to follow guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This includes:
- other homes or gardens
- communal corridors or shared spaces
- car parks
- footpaths
You must:
- put up signs to say that CCTV is recording
- Share the images with the people you record if they ask for them
- deal with requests to delete footage or people not wanting to be recorded
Read the full guidance for people using CCTV .
If you're unhappy about a neighbour's CCTV
Talk to your neighbour. They may not know how you feel and could make changes to the CCTV, so you are both happy. They could do things like blanking out areas from recordings.
We're not able to get involved with these disputes.
You can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office if you're still unhappy.
More information
The House of Commons Library has published information on CCTV surveillance by neighbours.
For more information, speak to the Citizens Advice Bureau, or the police.
