New homeowner blasts neighbour's security camera move: 'Picks up everything'

The resident questioned what they could do after the home security camera popped up, apparently overlooking their shared fence.

The home security camera is clearly visible over the boundary fence between the two properties (left) with a close up picture of the camera (right).
A new homeowner was shocked to find a home security camera installed on their next door neighbour's house. Source: Reddit

A new homeowner is questioning what to do after their neighbour suddenly installed a home security camera seemingly overlooking their yard, and now worries their every move is being recorded in their "alfresco area".

The resident said the Ring camera popped up on the neighbouring house over the weekend, and was unmissable as it was hung well above the wooden fence dividing the two backyards. The resident, eager not to rock the boat with their neighbour, was torn on how to handle the situation — second guessing whether they were even being "reasonable" for having an issue with the situation.

"The spotlight turns on whenever I walk around my alfresco, which is disruptive at night and makes me think the camera is detecting my movements," the resident explained, acknowledging the camera is pointed down but said these types of devices often have "wide-angle lenses".

"Am I justified in asking them to disable the spotlight and adjust the camera's angle?" they wondered.

After the resident shared their dilemma online, Aussies responded with a resounding yes — the camera would likely be capturing their movements, as well as audio from their yard, and it was fair to be irked by it.

Some suggested the resident extend their fence so it blocked the camera's view while others joked "some tall nice plants" would do the trick. "I have a similar [camera] model too and you are correct in saying that despite using zones, it still picks up everything. My indoor camera also picks up voices in other rooms with high clarity," one person said.

Do you have a story about a dispute with a neighbour? Contact sophie.coghill@yahooinc.com

The rules differ between states, however, for the most part, home security cameras are in breach of privacy laws if they are installed overlooking private property and impact people in neighbouring properties.

In NSW, residents are allowed to have home security cameras that overlook public areas but any installed near residential boundaries cannot be pointed at people's bathrooms or windows. Residents with such concerns are urged to contact police to seek out exactly what the camera is picking up.

"Contact the local police and they can come out and actually request to view that person's footage to see exactly what's been looked at," property lawyer Monica Rouvellas previously told Yahoo News. "And then the police can actually, I believe, request that the camera be taken down or repositioned."

A home security camera pointing into a resident's home (left) and another one installed on an outside post overlooking the neighbour's yard (right).
Residents can contact the police if they believe their neighbour's security camera is encroaching on their privacy. Source: Supplied/Facebook

In Victoria, under section 7 of the state's Surveillance Devices Act 1999, it is an offence if a person "knowingly installs, uses or maintains an optical surveillance device to record visually or observe a private activity to which the person is not a party, without the express or implied consent of each party to the activity". Again, the police can be contacted to help in the situation.

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