Installing CCTV Outside Your HDB Flat Without Approval is Apparently Not Allowed

Remember the Punggol neighbour from hell?

Over two years, six families on the same floor moved out because of her annoying antics.

She’s been accused of splashing oil and porridge on her neighbours’ doors, playing loud music, and once even placed a bloody pig’s ear on a shoe rack.

What would you do if you lived near such an awful neighbour?

You’d probably install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera outside your home to catch her in the act, right?

Well, that’s exactly what many of them did, but unbeknownst to us all, this is actually illegal.

Installing CCTV Outside Your HDB Flat Without Approval is Apparently Not Allowed

On 11 Jan, a netizen posted a simple but thought-provoking question on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore: 

Could you accept having your daily movements outside your house monitored by a neighbour through a CCTV camera?

The post, which garnered over 250 comments, had mixed responses.

Some felt it was not only fine but beneficial, especially if a crime had taken place in the area.

“I wish my neighbours had CCTV as there were few cases in the past where my newspapers were stolen”, said one netizen.

However, many commenters pointed out that installing a CCTV camera outside your home without prior approval is not permitted.

And they’re right. 

According to the The Community Disputes Resolution Act, any individual “must not” cause “unreasonable interference” with their neighbour’s enjoyment or use of their place of residence.

Some examples of this interference includes causing excessive noise, trespassing, and conducting surveillance in the vicinity of your place of residence.

Moreover, town councils regulate the use of common areas, such as the area outside a flat.

Residents must first get approval from HDB or the town councils before they can install security cameras outside their unit.

Despite this, the number of people buying CCTV cameras for use outside their flats is reportedly on the rise.

Caught Criminals & Bad Neighbours

As for the Punggol neighbour from hell, many of the residents on the same floor ended up getting a CCTV camera installed outside their homes.

It showed her walking around the corridors and spraying some unidentifiable substance on a neighbour’s door.

Another neighbour in Ang Mo Kio caught a pervert on her CCTV camera pleasuring himself with her shoes, after giving them a good sniff.

The man was identified thanks to the security footage and fined $5,000, and later arrested when he repeated the act.

So, whether you have a neighbour from hell or someone who likes your shoes a little too much, lodge a police report and obtain approval from your town council before installing any security cameras outside your home.

Otherwise, you could be the one in trouble instead.

Featured Image: tete_escape / Shutterstock.com