CCTV and Video Doorbells

• You may need to apply for written permission from PCHA to alter the property if installation requires you to drill into the building or affects the fabric of the building in any other way. If in any doubt, it is advisable to contact PCHA for advice before installing a camera. Never drill into a window frame or external door for safety reasons.
• Ensure it only captures images within your property boundary.
• Do not record neighbours’ homes, neighbour’s gardens, shared corridors, landings, car parks, children’s play areas, schools, or public streets.
• Use privacy zones, masking or filters if your system supports them.
• Think about whether security lighting, an alarm or another less intrusive measures could address the concern. CCTV should only be used to protect your home and property from security risks and must not be used to monitor neighbours, visitors or shared areas.
• Keep the number of cameras reasonable. PCHA may ask you to remove cameras if their number or positioning is excessive or intrusive.
• Repair any damage caused when equipment is removed.
• Make sure the date and time recorded by the system are accurate.

• Ensure compliance with your tenancy agreement and PCHA policies.
• Tell your neighbours and explain what the camera can see. Listen to any concerns and adjust the view where reasonably possible if neighbour’s raise concerns.
• Display a clear notice or sign stating that CCTV is in use. Recording should not be covert.
• If your CCTV or video doorbell captures sound, recorded voices are personal data under the UK GDPR. Audio recording is more intrusive than recording images alone, so it should be switched off unless it is necessary and proportionate for a clear security purpose.
• Only record what is needed to protect your home and property.
• If someone asks not to be recorded, see if you can change the camera angle or reduce what it records while still keeping your home secure.
• Do not use the system to monitor, harass or intimidate neighbours or visitors.

If your camera records only within the boundary of your home and garden, domestic-use rules will usually apply. If it captures people or areas beyond your boundary, such as a neighbour’s garden, communal areas, a shared area, pavement or road, you must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 2018.

PCHA is not the data controller for any CCTV camera or video doorbell installed or operated by a tenant, occupant or leaseholder, including equipment provided by PCHA. You are responsible for the personal data your system captures and for complying with data protection law.

• You are responsible for the system, its positioning, the information it records, its security and its maintenance.
• You must have a clear reason for recording and must not use footage for an unrelated purpose.
• A person recorded outside your boundary may ask for a copy of footage showing them. You should respond without undue delay and normally within one month.
• Before providing footage, protect the privacy of other identifiable people, for example by blurring them, unless it is lawful to disclose them.

• Keep recordings secure, use strong access controls and limit access to people who genuinely need it.
• Delete footage regularly and do not keep it longer than necessary for the reason it was recorded.
• Only share relevant footage with authorised individuals where there is a proper reason to, such as with PCHA, the police or a local authority investigating an incident.
• Do not share footage of identifiable people on social media or on public websites.
• Preserve relevant footage if it may be needed as evidence, and contact PCHA or the police for advice where appropriate.

• Regularly check the camera angle and coverage.
• Make sure privacy zones still work and the system is not capturing more than necessary.
• Delete recordings that are no longer needed.
• Check that the equipment, date and time settings, and security controls work properly.
• Remove the system when it is no longer needed.

If a complaint is made, PCHA may investigate under its relevant tenancy, anti-social behaviour procedures and may ask to inspect the camera’s positioning, settings or relevant footage. If the system is intrusive, is being used for an improper purpose, breaches tenancy conditions, or you do not cooperate with reasonable enquiries, PCHA may require it to be repositioned or removed and may refer concerns to the police or the Information Commissioner’s Office where appropriate. Failure to comply with a removal request may lead to enforcement action.

• Is the camera necessary and positioned to minimise intrusion?
• Have you enabled privacy masking where available?
• Have you spoken to affected neighbours and displayed a CCTV notice?
• Do you have PCHA’s written permission for any drilling or structural alteration?
• Are recordings secure, accurate and deleted regularly?
• Would you know how to respond if someone asks for footage?
• Only share footage for legitimate reasons with appropriate individuals.