It’s been tough recently on all of us, and it’s quite natural for everyone to be on guard these days. If you’re renting property and if your landlord doesn’t have security cameras installed already, then they might be considering installing one given the things that are happening these days.
And if your landlord consults you about this, then very good - you’re renting from a pretty good landlord. Without any proper notification, that’s when things start to get sketchy.
If you’re in this sticky situation, here’s a quick guide to privacy that we’d like to share with you.
Disclaimer: There are laws that relate to this topic. If you have a legal dispute with property and surveillance, refer to this link from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Is it legal?
Technically, it is legal as your landlord owns the area. But the area where they’ll be installing it is an important point of concern that should be addressed in issues like these.
Say you’re living in a complex - then it’s absolutely legal for your landlord to install some outside of the room or the apartment you’re renting. If they’re insisting on installing it in your own private space or your apartment, that’s where it gets a little iffy.
Your landlord should not be invading your personal space, even if you’re just renting, no matter what.
Some would say that it’s within legal limits, but what’s legal and ethical doesn’t always intersect; in this case, insisting on installing one indoors in your own spaces is extremely unethical, especially if they have access to the feed.
Additionally, there are a couple of reasons that could easily become messy, both legally and ethically:
If your landlord just wants to keep an eye on the premises or the immediate area of the property, say the parking lot just to make sure that everyone’s safe, then that’s absolutely legal and ethical. If they’re going to install one to spy on a certain tenant’s activities, then that’s where it becomes a problem.
If your landlord is insisting that a security camera needs to be installed inside some very private spaces - and we’re not talking about common areas such as living rooms or kitchens - but bedrooms or bathrooms, then that’s definitely an extreme breach of privacy and should not be tolerated in any way.
Make sure that you know your rights; in this case, a reasonable amount of privacy is to be expected. If you’re renting the entire apartment, then you’re within your rights to decline the installation.
If you run across disputes with your landlord, it’s best to get in touch with a disputes office, which you can reach here:
Disputes Settlement Centre | 1800 658 528
If you feel unsafe in any way, shape or form and you feel that you’re under surveillance in secret (or if you’ve found evidence that there are hidden cameras in your place of residence outside of your consent), then do not hesitate to call the authorities or phone in the number above ASAP.
What about roommates?
If your roommate(s) want to install a security camera within your rented space, then make sure that they’re installing it in common areas, and nowhere else.
Some important points to cover are entrances/exits, and common areas such as kitchens and living rooms. Anywhere else needs to be discussed thoroughly. Additionally, if it’s a CCTV that’s going to be installed it needs to be in an area that anyone can access the feed.
Alternatively, if an IP camera is to be installed then everyone should have access to the camera/s’ feed to make sure that everyone is aware which areas are being recorded, and what could be seen from the feed.
IP cameras are particularly great for being transparent with security efforts; if your roommate isn’t planning on snooping around with a camera, then they’ll definitely show how you can connect to the security camera’s feed using your mobile device.
If you’d like to make sure that you’re safe, ask for them to show you where the security cameras are, where the equipment is, and how to turn it on or off.
What About Audio?
Now, this is where it gets tricky. The basics of privacy when it comes to recording states an explicit need for consent if you’re in private. So if, say, a security camera is installed right outside your door and it can capture audio, then it might capture audio that’s from inside your apartment or rented room.
If you don’t like this at all, then that means that you do not have consent - that makes it illegal. Make sure that whoever has set up the security camera turns off the audio recording for the security camera IF it is within earshot of your room or apartment.
If any audio was captured by your landlord and/or your roommate that installed the security camera, then that needs to be deleted promptly.
In closing
If you’re a landlord or a renter that’s sharing the rent with other people, it’s absolutely important to err on the side of common sense - don’t be creepy. That might have warranted a chuckle out of you but if you feel like the people you’re living with might be uncomfortable with what you’re going to do, then don’t do it.
Security cameras get a bad reputation for being tools of surveillance, and people don’t like being watched at all. So as responsible people we should responsibly use the tech that’s in security cameras and be outstanding to each other as human beings.
Everyone deserves their safe space away from prying eyes.
If you’re looking for security cameras that are open for sharing and are completely safe, do visit us today at our security camera category, and get the best CCTV camera for home security in Australia today from the safety of your home.
