January 13, 2026 · 4 min read
Cameras in the building: what data protection requires
After a few break-ins in the storage rooms, someone proposes cameras. Good idea — with strict rules.
The approval
Installing CCTV in common areas requires a general-meeting resolution by three fifths of owners and shares (it is a new common service). Minuted, with specific locations.
The data protection rules
- An information sign visible at the entrances, naming the controller and where to exercise your rights.
- Cameras may only capture common areas: never the public street (beyond what is strictly unavoidable), nor the inside of other people's parking spaces, nor other buildings' entrances.
- Maximum retention: 30 days (except footage of an incident, preserved for the complaint).
- Restricted access: only the designated person (chair or manager) with a password; no neighbour watching "the camera channel" on their TV.
- A record of processing activities (a simple document that any serious installer hands over already drafted).
The mistake that costs money
A neighbour's "private" camera pointed at the landing or the shared garage: that is unlawful processing of third parties' data, and the data protection authority's fines run into four figures. If there is a security reason, do it properly and jointly.
Keep reading
The community and personal data: what the GDPR really asks of you
Debtor lists on the noticeboard, minutes with names, cameras and the WhatsApp group: data protection without the hysteria.
Solar panels for the building: how it gets approved and how it is shared
Shared self-consumption for common areas and homes: majorities, costs, grants and how the savings are split.
Bins and recycling in your building: how to organise it without rows
Smelly bin rooms, bags on the landing and furniture by the front door. Practical ideas for organising your building's waste and recycling without arguments.
Stop reading about managing. Try it.
Step into a sample building with everything working and try it yourself.