RENTING AND THE LAW KELLY KLEIN
Q My building has security cameras at the entrances. The camera footage is broadcast on a TV channel in the building so everyone with a TV can watch people coming and leaving.
It feels like window peeping or "1984." Is this legal? If it is legal, what can be done to stop it or prevent it? Could I legally display a sign asking, "Can't you find something else to do?"
I grew up in a farm culture with respect for privacy and none for busybodies. Can this cultural issue become a legal issue?
A Yes, it is legal for property owners to install cameras in common areas, such as the entrance to a building. While landlords have no duty to protect the health and safety of their tenants from the actions of third parties, many landlords have installed security devices as a marketing tool and to protect their tenants in some way. When installing such devices, landlords must ensure that they are acting reasonably.
Every security device has some intrusive quality, whether it requires you to buzz guests in after they announce their presence on an intercom or whether tenants have key cards that measure their comings and goings, along with denying access to those without cards.
Most courts find such intrusions to be minor in relation to the benefit -- a safer apartment.
Unfortunately, busybodies have been with us forever. While it is true there are probably some busybodies in every apartment building who like to see who is coming and going, those same types of people used to sit by the front door or on the front stoop before security cameras and television became popular.
I am sorry, but there is probably very little you can do about people watching the security channel to see who is coming and going in your apartment.