Tenant Installed CCTV Cameras???

Question

BPers!

We own a 2 building (1 story) rental property with 5 units in each building.  We have a long term tenant (month to month agreement) that has installed at least 4 cameras (that I see) that would cover the entry into his unit and the common courtyard behind his unit.  The range of the cameras probably would capture the entry to 2 of our other units as well.

He did not clear this with me.  It is not covered in our Rental Agreement.

Without providing any me providing further background, what are your thoughts???

Creepy or Caring?  How would you as an Investor or Property Manager feel about this.

I have a definite opinion and a sense on how I will respond, but am curious of your thoughts!!!

Thx

Bryan

John Thedford · Answer

I don't necessarily thing it is a bad thing. Drug dealer is jumping to conclusions. Today, almost everyone is filmed well over a dozen times when they go anywhere. IMO, having cameras up could be a great crime deterrent. I would not be worried but I would investigate to find out the reason. Could be totally harmless and actually a benefit to not only you but the other tenants. I live in a gated community and they film us everytime we enter or leave. Big brother IS watching...and I am sure they monitor these forums as they do the rest of the net:)

Mark Gallagher · Answer

Gee I hope my neighbors don't think I'm a drug dealer because I have cameras at my homes. Internet cameras cost ~$75 and I can keep tabs when I'm away. A lot of jumping to conclusions here. He's a long term tenant in a 10-unit building - if he were doing some shady dealings on a regular basis, chances are you would have heard about it already.

Pretty simple solution.. you call him up and said neighbors were complaining. Open a dialogue.

John Thedford · Answer

If you ARE dealing drugs, the clean cut appearance and suit will certainly fool almost everyone:)

Gavin Peacock · Answer

This wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Tenants can be eccentric. Perhaps he's trying to catch the person who keeps stealing his newspaper!

Daniel Miller · Answer

Please permit me to offer an opposing view, however... I live in Fremont, CA; not exactly a hotbed of crime, but we *have* had a spate of house break-ins during the day in various places around the city.  If a break-in occurs, and the homeowner got video that is relevant, the Fremont Police will actually post snap-shots on their Nixle emails, to give the public a chance to help with IDs.  Homeowner videos have been instrumental in leading to arrests in a number of recent cases, both in house break-ins and also with theft of delivered packages.

In fact, Fremont police have been holding meetings with community members to provide advice on selecting video monitoring equipment and locating them most effectively.  Furthermore, the homeowner can register their video equipment with the city; if a crime occurs in the area, they sometimes contact nearby video users to see if they got any relevant footage.   I can assure you that they are not doing this with an eye toward assisting drug dealers or other criminals!!  So I would be hesitant to jump to malign assumptions without further info to go on.

Kevin Smith · Answer

They could be fake.He might be trying to stop bad behavior in area.I would just ask him what's going on.

Alexander Felice · Answer

I usually don't jump to conclusions on this stuff but

#drugdealer

Karen Bickford · Answer

@Bryan Vince  Sounds like he maybe has some security concerns. Is it an area that warrants concern?  My other thought is cctv systems are not cheap.

I agree he should of got permission from you to install. Most leases state you can't drill holes or change paint inside of unit. So mounting cameras outside would would be pretty brazen even at his own expense.

Cameras are the norm these days with the exception of where there is an expectation of privacy ie bedrooms or pointing inside home.  It could be a good  thing for the security of that building  and you may need the camera footage at some point.  See if you can get a component of the system that might be helpful to you down the road.

Angel Rosado · Answer

@Bryan Vince Although they might be useful in the future if something were to happen I think you should request that he removed them.  As this wasn't part of the lease I think you have the right to request this.

If his reason is for concern then maybe you should put a few cameras throughout your property.  I would even say that having the cameras would bring a certain type of tenant, one that is concerned about safety.

Johnny Mack · Answer

Florida has no law against it if they only capture what's in public view anyway.

It's my tendency to conclude drug dealer, unless the area has a lot of break-ins lately. If they've been there a while and only now put up cameras, something must have prompted them.

Tenant Installed CCTV Cameras???

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