CCTV In HMOs And Rental Properties: The GDPR Rules For Landlords

CCTV can cut antisocial behaviour, deter break-ins and help resolve disputes in shared houses. But footage of tenants and visitors is their personal data, so UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is reviewing its CCTV guidance after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the ICO website for the latest version.

Before you install

• ▸Write down why you need CCTV — for example, preventing break-ins or protecting residents in communal areas.
• ▸Choose a lawful basis. For landlords this is usually "legitimate interests", backed by a short written assessment balancing your needs against residents' privacy.
• ▸Consider a data protection impact assessment (DPIA), especially where cameras cover places people live.
• ▸Register with the ICO and pay the data protection fee if you haven't already. The ICO says landlords using CCTV on their properties need to pay.

Where cameras can and can't go

• ▸Usually acceptable — front doors, entrance halls, communal stairs and corridors, bin stores, car parks and the outside of the building.
• ▸Not acceptable — inside bedrooms or bedsits, bathrooms or toilets, or pointing through tenants' windows.
• ▸Point cameras away from neighbours' homes and gardens where possible.
• ▸Switch off audio recording unless you have a very strong reason — it's rarely justified.

Storing and sharing footage

• ▸Keep footage only as long as you need it, then delete it automatically. Many landlords set around 30 days unless footage is needed for an incident.
• ▸Limit who can view recordings, protect the app or recorder with strong passwords, and keep a record of who has accessed footage.
• ▸If a tenant or visitor asks for footage of themselves (a subject access request), you normally have one month to respond.
• ▸Only share footage with others, such as the police or insurers, when there's a clear reason, and record what you shared and why.

How JHS can help

We install CCTV for HMOs and rental properties with camera positions planned around privacy, and we can provide a CCTV compliance pack covering your system register, privacy assessment, signage wording and access logs.