Domestic CCTV Guidance for Tenants & Leaseholders

Many tenants choose to install CCTV or video doorbells for security and peace of mind. This guidance explains what you need to know before installing them at your home and how to use them responsibly.

Before You Install CCTV

CCTV can help protect your home, but please remember:

  • Domestic CCTV should ideally only record within your property boundary. If it captures neighbours, shared areas, or public paths, data protection law may apply to you. 
  • If you experience crime or anti‑social behaviour (ASB), report incidents to the Police and contact your Neighbourhood Officer for support.
Let Solihull Community Housing (SCH) Know First

Tenants are asked to inform Solihull Community Housing (SCH) in writing before installing any CCTV or video doorbell.

This allows SCH to ensure your installation:

  • Is safe
  • Does not damage the property
  • Does not cause issues for neighbours
  • Does not unnecessarily record shared or private areas

When you contact SCH, please include:

  • Why you want CCTV
  • Where the camera will point
  • Whether it may capture neighbours, shared areas, or the street
  • Whether audio recording is enabled

SCH recognises that many tenants install CCTV for reassurance — notifying us helps avoid future issues.

Position Cameras Carefully

To respect the privacy of others and follow national guidance:

  • Point cameras at your own doors, garden or driveway
  • Avoid filming neighbouring homes or SCH communal areas
  • Turn off audio unless absolutely necessary — audio recording is more intrusive
  • Use privacy‑masking features if available

If your camera captures areas outside your boundary, you may have data protection responsibilities such as securing footage and deleting it when it is no longer needed.

Signage and Transparency

If your camera captures people outside your own property boundary — such as neighbours, visitors, shared areas or the public — you may be required to make it clear that CCTV is in use.

National guidance recommends using visible and appropriate signage so people know they are being recorded. Clear signage is a recognised way to meet transparency duties where data protection law applies.

This can help prevent misunderstandings and reduce complaints.

Using and Sharing Footage Responsibly

CCTV footage must be used appropriately and respectfully.

Correct use of footage
  • Use recordings only for genuine security or safety reasons.
  • Do not use footage in any way that could cause harassment, alarm or distress to others. Doing so may breach your tenancy agreement and SCH’s ASB policy.
  • Misuse of footage may be treated as anti‑social behaviour.
Sharing footage
  • Relevant footage may be shared with the Police.
  • Do not upload recordings of neighbours, visitors, or passers‑by to social media — this may breach privacy rules.

If misuse of footage forms part of behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to others, SCH may consider this under its ASB Policy.

If Someone Raises Concerns About Your Camera

The ICO recommends trying to resolve concerns by speaking to each other first.
Small changes — such as adjusting the camera angle or using privacy masking — can often resolve issues.

If concerns continue and the installation breaches tenancy conditions (e.g. causes damage or contributes to ASB), SCH may intervene.

National Guidance

For independent advice, visit:
ICO – Home CCTV Guidance

 

Please note SCH does not check if residents’ CCTV follows data protection rules. These concerns should go to the ICO, while SCH can deal with CCTV linked to anti-social behaviour, harassment or tenancy issues.