If you live in a property with no shared communal areas, data protection laws will not apply if your CCTV or camera doorbell only captures images within the boundaries of your home, including your garden.
However, if your system captures images of people outside of your home for example, a communal area, in your neighbours’ gardens or on a public footpath or road then the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18) will apply to you. In these circumstances anyone filmed outside the boundary of your home has legal data rights, including the right to obtain a copy of the footage and to have it erased. They also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office and to use the Courts if their footage is misused.
If you are installing CCTV or camera doorbell we ask that you give consideration to the location of cameras to ensure they don’t impact upon the privacy of your neighbours, and you should aim not to capture footage beyond the boundary of your home. If your home has a communal area you will need to obtain our consent before installing a CCTV system. If you are planning to use a CCTV system or a camera doorbell we recommend that you inform your neighbours so that they can identify any concerns they have to you and you should ensure that you have arrangements to delete the footage on a regular basis. Some CCTV systems and doorbells have the facility to do this automatically.
Visit the ICO website for more thorough information on how to use domestic CCTV systems and information.
If you’re unhappy about the use of a home CCTV system you can use the ICOs online tool to determine the best course of action in your situation.
Here are some useful links that explain your rights:
CCTV/doorbell camera poster
Domestic CCTV systems – guidance for people being filmed
Your right of access
