CCTV rules for homes in Kent: what you can and cannot record

The short answer

You can install CCTV on your own home in Kent without permission. If the cameras only see your own property, none of the data protection rules apply to you at all. The moment a camera captures next door's garden, the pavement or the road, you become a data controller under UK GDPR, which sounds worse than it is but does come with obligations.

What that means in practice

Position cameras to cover your own drive, doors and garden first. On the terraced streets in Dover, Medway and Thanet this takes some care, because a camera on the front of the house sees three doorsteps unless it is angled well. Where a camera has to see a shared path or the street to be useful, angle it so the neighbour's windows and garden are out of frame, or use the privacy masking every decent recorder offers, which blacks out part of the picture permanently.

Put a small sign up. A "CCTV in operation" sticker by the door is enough. Keep recordings for a sensible period, 30 days is normal, and be prepared to give someone a copy of footage they appear in if they ask. Do not share footage on social media unless you are reporting a crime to the police.

Audio

Recording audio is treated more strictly than video. Most home systems have audio switched off by default and we leave it that way unless there is a clear reason, such as a two way talk doorbell.

Video doorbells

Doorbells see the pavement by design. The same rules apply: a sign, sensible retention, and no publishing. A doorbell that only triggers when someone is at the door, rather than recording the street all day, keeps you on the right side of it.

How we set systems up

On every install we walk round with the app open and check each camera's view with you, mask anything that should not be in it, and set retention to 30 days. It takes ten minutes and saves an argument later. If you want a second opinion on an existing system, that is part of the free CCTV survey.