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I am going to assume that by mad neighbour you don’t mean a “let’s make £250 by sending this in to you’ve been framed” kind of mad and that you have a serious situation you need help with.

Using CCTV in neighbour disputes is on the increase and as long as a simple rule is followed the use of CCTV in a domestic setting is perfectly legal.

However……………

Using CCTV can sometimes cause more trouble than the benefits it brings you in these situations and we would always recommend that other methods of resolving the situation are tried first. “Hang on”, I hear you say, “don’t you sell CCTV?” yes we do and we will gladly advise and recommend the equipment you need for your environment and situation. Again, we always recommend you explore other means of resolving the problem and there is a wealth of information and more importantly help available to you, a good place to start would be www.problemneighbours.co.uk this site is very informative, very  supportive and written in plain English.

I mentioned that the rule is simple regarding the use of CCTV in a domestic environment and it is; don’t position your cameras so they can record your neighbour’s property. If it is pointing at their property it can be argued that the positioning of your camera is violating their privacy and this is covered by the Human Rights Act, the Police can also be called if your neighbour claims the camera is being used for Voyeurism. Statements to the Police along the lines of; “Voyeurism? Have you seen my neighbours?!” will not help your situation.

Options on installing a system to make sure you don’t fall foul of any Acts or Laws would be

a)      A Professional installer, always get three quotes and personal recommendations if possible.

b)      DIY, choose a Digital Video Recorder or Camera with Privacy Masking option

Option a) is self-explanatory and it would be nice if we were one of the three asked to quote, testimonials available on request. (I also get a pat on the back if you mention this article)

Option b) Privacy Masking, this is a feature on some Digital recorders and some cameras that allow you to blank out part of the image like this before and after picture.

As you can see this allows you to view, as in this example, the whole of your fence line while maintaining the privacy of your neighbour. If your neighbour ever questioned the view of the camera direct them to this web page so they can see how privacy masking works. I would not show a printed picture of what the camera can see and I am pretty certain you will not be inviting them in to see the live images. You do not want your neighbour to see the images because they may exploit any areas that the camera does not cover. If the Police are called you can show them the live images and the recorded images to prove that there is no voyeurism involved and they can pass this information on to the neighbours.

I am sorry that you are having problems with your mad neighbour from hell and if you still feel that CCTV will help you please do not hesitate to contact us for Free advice.

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