Domestic CCTV cameras are now common in residential streets across the UK. The question of whether a neighbour's camera can legally record your property, your movements, or your home is one that affects many people who feel uncomfortable about being under surveillance on their own doorstep. The law in this area has developed significantly since the UK's data protection framework was updated.

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The UK GDPR and Domestic CCTV

The UK General Data Protection Regulation applies to the processing of personal data, which includes recording identifiable individuals on CCTV footage. There is an exemption in the UK GDPR for purely domestic or household purposes, meaning a camera used only to record what happens within someone's own home and garden, capturing no images of public areas or neighbouring properties, does not need to comply with data protection obligations.

However, when a domestic camera captures images beyond the boundary of the owner's property, such as public footpaths, shared driveways, or neighbouring gardens and houses, it falls outside the purely domestic exemption. The person operating the camera then becomes a data controller under the UK GDPR and must comply with data protection obligations.

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What Data Protection Obligations Apply

A neighbour whose camera captures images of your property must have a lawful basis for processing that data, must only retain footage for as long as necessary, must keep it secure, and must be able to respond to subject access requests from people who appear in the footage. They should also have clear signage indicating that recording is taking place.

The Information Commissioner's Office has published specific guidance on domestic CCTV. It notes that people using CCTV should point cameras only at areas they have a legitimate need to cover, avoid filming areas belonging to other people where possible, and be transparent about the recording.

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What You Can Do If You Are Concerned

Speak to your neighbour

In many cases the simplest first step is a direct conversation. Your neighbour may be willing to reposition or reangle the camera to avoid capturing your property without reducing their own security coverage.

Complain to the ICO

If you believe a neighbour's CCTV is processing your personal data unlawfully and informal approaches have not resolved the matter, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO can investigate complaints about domestic CCTV that extends beyond the household exemption and can take enforcement action in serious cases.

Harassment and nuisance

If a camera is being used deliberately to intimidate or monitor you rather than for legitimate security purposes, this may amount to harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Evidence of deliberate targeted surveillance can support a harassment complaint to the police or a civil harassment claim.

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The Position on Public Areas

A camera capturing images of a public road, pavement, or shared access area is in a different position from one pointed at a private garden. Recording public areas is generally more defensible for security purposes, and many domestic cameras are set up to cover a driveway that includes some of the public road. The key issue is whether the camera is capturing more than necessary and whether it specifically targets your private property or your movements within it.

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Summary

Your neighbour can legally have a CCTV camera, but if it captures images of your property or of you as an identifiable person, they are likely operating as a data controller under the UK GDPR rather than within the household exemption. They must have a lawful basis for the recording and must comply with data protection obligations. If the camera causes genuine concern, speaking directly to the neighbour, contacting the ICO, or in serious harassment cases the police are the appropriate responses. There is no absolute right to prevent a neighbour from having a camera, but there are significant constraints on how they can use it if it extends beyond their own property.