Laws on CCTV use

[thecremeegg]

We live in a block of flats with a communal bin store. These bins are getting filled up within 2 days of being emptied and they're big bins, meaning the place is overrun with rubbish constantly.
Myself and a neighbour wondered what the legal ramifications are to setting up a camera that points at the door to the bin store to try and see if it's being used by non-residents? Is this something we can do in any way or would it be a complete minefield? We only want to put it up for a week or two to see if our suspicions are correct.
Management company is as useful as a chocolate teapot as they all are.

Thanks

[Dave Hedgehog]

Data protection law says that people who capture images or audio recordings from outside their property boundary must: have a clear reason for using the CCTV; make sure the CCTV doesn't capture more than they need to; let people know they are using CCTV (eg by displaying a sign)


stick a sign up PTZ to the bin area and bobs your uncle

[MustangGT]

Ask the management company to set it up.

[E-bmw]

thecremeegg said:

We live in a block of flats with a communal bin store. These bins are getting filled up within 2 days of being emptied and they're big bins, meaning the place is overrun with rubbish constantly.
Myself and a neighbour wondered what the legal ramifications are to setting up a camera that points at the door to the bin store to try and see if it's being used by non-residents? Is this something we can do in any way or would it be a complete minefield? We only want to put it up for a week or two to see if our suspicions are correct.
Management company is as useful as a chocolate teapot as they all are.

Thanks

I may not fully understand the layout, so could be over-simplifying things.

Having said that I struggle with thinking of any reason why Mr/Mrs Random would cart their rubbish to someone else's bin.

Surely, it is more likely that there simply aren't enough bins for the residents.

[OverSteery]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Data protection law says that people who capture images or audio recordings from outside their property boundary must: have a clear reason for using the CCTV; make sure the CCTV doesn't capture more than they need to; let people know they are using CCTV (eg by displaying a sign)


stick a sign up PTZ to the bin area and bobs your uncle

Interesting. I know you can take photos in a public place pretty much without restriction. Is CCTV covered by different laws?

I have 2 CCTV systems - one on my house and one at my business. the later captures a significant amount of public area - I assumed it was OK...

I

[WrekinCrew]

Maybe a prominent dummy camera would act as a deterrent, and avoid any legal issues.

[skyebear]

Stopping non-residents gaining access to a communal area would seem the better goal. How are they accessing the bin area?

If you can get video evidence who would you be sending it to for action to take place?

Any half decent CCTV system will enable you to create privacy zone(s) to blank out areas other than the precise part you wish to focus on.

If you're paying a PMC then you should really be increasing pressure on them to do something. Other flats' occupants may not appreciate your filming regardless of how well-intentioned you are.

[bergclimber34]

In my experience of dealing with management companies they will do sod all, they only exist to retrieve as much as possible from the leaseholders and do the bare minimum for as long as possible, they will not want to get involved in this.

Most of them refuse to even speak to tenants, you know the people that actually live in the bloody properties, so this has all sorts of ramifications that will mean they will not touch it.

[thecremeegg]

E-bmw said:

I may not fully understand the layout, so could be over-simplifying things.

Having said that I struggle with thinking of any reason why Mr/Mrs Random would cart their rubbish to someone else's bin.

Surely, it is more likely that there simply aren't enough bins for the residents.

Well the number of residents hasn't changed in the 10 years we've been here, but recently the amount of rubbish has grown hugely. I can only think someone might be using it for business rubbish or something?
Thanks for the answers guys, will have a ponder if it's worth the hassle!

[Quattr04.]

We had exactly the same thing as well as people using the bin store to get into the building and steal parcels and try and break into flats

We had access control installed with a mag lock instead of having a key and a automatic door closure as people loved to let the door swing closed but it wouldn’t engage the latch

Also had CCTV installed as there as other crime going on.

In our case it was a local take away dumping stuff as the bin store was externally accessed and people left the door unlocked all the time. It stopped after that.

[The_Nugget]

OverSteery said:

Interesting. I know you can take photos in a public place pretty much without restriction. Is CCTV covered by different laws?

I have 2 CCTV systems - one on my house and one at my business. the later captures a significant amount of public area - I assumed it was OK...

Yes. CCTV use by an organisation has specific rules.
Suggest you avail yourself of the ICO guidance here https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guida...

[E-bmw]

thecremeegg said:

E-bmw said:

I may not fully understand the layout, so could be over-simplifying things.

Having said that I struggle with thinking of any reason why Mr/Mrs Random would cart their rubbish to someone else's bin.

Surely, it is more likely that there simply aren't enough bins for the residents.

Well the number of residents hasn't changed in the 10 years we've been here, but recently the amount of rubbish has grown hugely. I can only think someone might be using it for business rubbish or something?

Yes, but it isn't necessarily the number of residents but their habits.

EG.
Mrs E & I used to live elsewhere next to another similar aged couple also with no kids.
Every 2 weeks their bin was overflowing & ours had 2 or 3 swing bin liners in resulting in it being under 1/2 full.

A few flats inhabited by these would make an enormous difference to the amount of rubbish.