A neighbour's camera points at your home: your rights (UK)

Last checked: 19 Oct 2026

If a neighbour's CCTV camera or video doorbell records beyond their own property, UK data protection law applies to them. You have rights over footage of you, and they have rules to follow. This page sets out what the UK's data protection regulator says.

The regulator became the Information Commission on 30 September 2026; it was previously the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), and its guidance is still at ico.org.uk. Its home CCTV page says: "Due to changes made by the Data (Use and Access) Act, this guidance is under review and may be subject to change."

When the law applies

The regulator's page covers "the use of fixed cameras and smart doorbells". It says: "Where possible owners should position their cameras to only capture their own property. However, if this isn't possible and the CCTV captures someone else's property, a public area or communal space, then data protection law applies." That's because the camera can capture images and voices of other people, which counts as their personal information.

What the owner must do

The regulator says people whose cameras capture images or sound from outside their property boundary must:

have a clear reason for using the camera
make sure it doesn't capture more than they need to
let people know they're using it, for example with a sign
in most cases, give some of the recordings to a person who appears in them and asks
delete the footage regularly or automatically, or both
stop recording a person if they object and there's no legitimate reason to continue

It also says owners should store footage securely so only people who need it can see it, and "where possible, apply filters or privacy blockers to blur or block out part of the footage".

Consent: the regulator says "consent will rarely be required for home CCTV". Instead, the owner "must be able to demonstrate that their interests outweigh any invasion of privacy for others."

Your rights

If a neighbour's camera records you, the regulator says you can:

Ask for a copy of footage you're in. This is a subject access request; see how to make one.
Ask them to delete it (the "right to erasure").
Object to being recorded (the "right to object"). If the owner carries on after you object, the regulator says "they should give a very strong reason to justify why. An example could be for crime prevention."

"In most instances, the CCTV owner should provide a response to your request within one calendar month."

The regulator's page includes suggested wording you can use in a letter to the owner, setting out these points.

What the regulator will and won't do

The regulator says that in most cases it can't or won't:

remove a camera or force the owner to move it
get footage for you
"force a CCTV owner to delete recordings of you"
take court action

It says it is "unlikely to find it fair or balanced to force a CCTV owner to move their camera". Its home CCTV complaints page says: "It's highly unlikely the ICO will consider it fair or balanced to take enforcement action against a home CCTV owner."

How to complain

Make your request to the owner: a copy of the footage, deletion, or that they stop recording you. The regulator's page has suggested wording for a letter.
Allow a month for their reply, as the regulator says owners should usually respond within one calendar month.
If you're not satisfied, use the regulator's home CCTV complaints page, bearing in mind what it says above about enforcement.

If it's your camera

See video doorbell and camera privacy settings for the Ring, Google Nest, Arlo and Eufy settings that help with these rules, such as blanking out areas, turning off sound and keeping recordings for less time.

Sources

This page describes your options and how organisations say they handle requests. It isn't legal advice. See About & sourcing, or report a correction.