Can my neighbour install a camera that records me?
Yes for their property, but not to record you. A neighbour can install CCTV cameras to protect their home or property, but data protection sets clear limits: cameras can't point at the public street, the common areas of the building or someone else's property (your garden, your door, your windows). The angle must be limited strictly to their own space, and they must put up an information sign for a CCTV area. Fake cameras and security footage are also subject to rules. If a camera records you improperly, you can ask the neighbour to reorient it and, if they don't, complain to the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD).
📋 The rules
- Can install cameras for their property
- Can't point at the public street, common areas or your property
- Angle limited to their space; CCTV-area sign required
- Recording neighbours without grounds breaches data protection
- You can complain to the AEPD if recorded improperly
🔓 Exceptions
- Building cameras: require a meeting resolution and compliance with the rules
- One-off phone recordings for a specific complaint: different regime
- Common areas: only with a resolution and the proper signage and information
⚠️ Penalties & fines
A camera that records the public street or your property without grounds breaches data protection rules and can lead to an AEPD sanction, plus liability for intrusion into privacy. The first step is usually to ask the neighbour to reorient or remove the camera; if they persist, you file a complaint with the AEPD attaching photos of the angle. In the building, cameras in common areas require a meeting resolution and compliance with the requirements (sign, information, limited image retention).
📎 Official sources
- AEPD · CCTV between neighbours and in communities →
- BOE · Organic Law 3/2018 on Data Protection (LOPDGDD) →
- Administración · Data protection →
❓ Frequently asked
Can my neighbour record me with a camera?
They can install cameras to watch their property, but can't point at the public street, common areas or your property. If their camera records you or your home, it breaches data-protection rules and you can complain.
What do I do if the neighbour's camera points at my house?
First, ask them in writing to reorient or remove the camera so it only captures their property. If they don't, file a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), attaching photos showing the improper angle.
Do they have to warn that there are cameras?
Yes. They must put up a visible CCTV-area sign and inform who is responsible for the images. The lack of signage and information is itself a breach of data-protection rules.
And cameras in the building's common areas?
They require a resolution of the owners' meeting and must comply with the rules: pointing only at common areas, an information sign, restricted access to the images and limited retention (generally a maximum of one month).
Can cameras record sound?
Audio recording is especially intrusive and, as a rule, isn't justified in CCTV between private parties, except in exceptional cases. Capturing neighbours' conversations can be an added violation of privacy.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “neighbour camera records my house”
- “cctv points at public street”
- “complain aepd neighbour camera”
- “camera common area community resolution”
- “cctv-area sign required”
- “neighbour camera data protection”