Neighbours CCTV recording audio from our back garden

There_Goes_The_Stingray

Okay, I live in a new build property. They all have single driveways which go down the side of the house with the garage located in the back garden, which also forms the border.

A unpleasant neighbour installed a 160° IP camera around 2 1/2 years ago, which led to me raising the fence between me and him to protect my families privacy, as it would be able to see part of our patio and look through our kitchen window.

He's now bought a new IP camera and installed it above the already raised fenceline on the front of his garage. After some research I identified the camera as having a 130 angle, and able to detect sound and motion, which automatically gets recorded and alerted via the mobile phone app.

Though he probably can't see much on the video side, it is quite alarming that every time I open the patio doors or make a sound in my garden his camera will automatically record video and sound and alert him.

No, I cannot speak to him and his antisocial behaviour is already known to the authorities. Where do i stand on this? Not being able to use my garden in the normal way is deeply upsetting. Is he allowed to set up a camera, most likely deliberately to record my family's conversations?

Thanks.

davidmcn

I don't think there's anything prohibiting you from recording sound which is audible within your own property. And if you don't have any evidence that's what he's doing anyway, I'm not sure what you'd propose to do about it.

[Deleted User]

There_Goes_The_Stingray said:

Okay, I live in a new build property. They all have single driveways which go down the side of the house with the garage located in the back garden, which also forms the border.

A unpleasant neighbour installed a 160° IP camera around 2 1/2 years ago, which led to me raising the fence between me and him to protect my families privacy, as it would be able to see part of our patio and look through our kitchen window.

He's now bought a new IP camera and installed it above the already raised fenceline on the front of his garage. After some research I identified the camera as having a 130 angle, and able to detect sound and motion, which automatically gets recorded and alerted via the mobile phone app.

Though he probably can't see much on the video side, it is quite alarming that every time I open the patio doors or make a sound in my garden his camera will automatically record video and sound and alert him.

No, I cannot speak to him and his antisocial behaviour is already known to the authorities. Where do i stand on this? Not being able to use my garden in the normal way is deeply upsetting. Is he allowed to set up a camera, most likely deliberately to record my family's conversations?

Thanks.

If he was standing on his property tending to his garden and you open the patio doors and make sound, presumably he could hear that. 
What is so interesting about the sound of your patio doors opening and the 100 alerts that he receives concerning that?

zagubov

When you're outside talking, can you take music with you, not loud, but enough to hamper a neighbour's microphone?

mark55man

Or get a (loud) water feature, so he is always recording it and/or needing the loo

Either that or say something about having to raise the fence again and making him pay to see if he reacts (and therefore is listening) - prob best not to say anything rude 

can't see why he would need audio for any legitimate reason, so I think you are right he's being unpleasant

in_my_wellies

As above, but instead of music play a bird song/call available for every type of bird on Youtube  - some are quite loud, he couldn't prove it wasn't a random bird but would be enough to hide your voices perhaps
*There's one of hens clucking which lasts 10 hours! I was wondering who would need this but perhaps I have found my answer.

TX9000

The spiteful side of me would love to see you follow the above 2 posts - imagine their face when they see 10 gigs of nothing

anselld

In practice with these systems the novelty of viewing or listening to every event or notification wears off very quickly.  Owners soon turn off notifications and it sits in a corner recording large volumes of dross.  They are only ever viewed if there is some event of interest, eg attempted burglary, etc.  Even then it is difficult to get the police to take any interest.

unforeseen

Or it could be something mundane such as that camera being on offer at the time he wanted one and didn't even contemplate the sound facilities. 

Although it sounds like OP has bought the wrong property. With that level of paranoia about neighbours they should have gone for a detached house in the middle of 10 acres edged with high conifers all the way around

warby68

What makes you think its deliberately to record your conversations rather than an unfortunate byproduct of his security device and the close confines of new build estate living?
If you can't speak to him how are you ever going to do anything about it anyway?
Maybe don't discuss personal stuff outdoors but that is the same at any time with close neighbours. 
Buy one the same would be my advice - you'll soon know what he thinks its capable of and the real purpose of it then! Or he may just smile and think he had a good idea as the neighbour's got one as well.
Of course the audio may be off as he can't stand the number of times you trip in and out.

vitaweat

As I understand it, it's against the law to record a conversation without the permission of at least one party to that conversation without a court order or the permission of the Home Secretary.  From what I can see this is criminal offence under RIPA 2000.

You also have a right to privacy under the Human Rights Act and this might very well breach this law too.

If the footage is not held securely or is shared online without your permission then that is a breach of the Data Protection Act. 

If it bothers you, and it sure as hell would bother me, instruct a solicitor to get advice how to construct a case and then take evidence to the police showing how and why the law is being broken.