Public Housing CCTV Ban: Risk of Eviction

To protect themselves, ensure property safety, or address neighborhood nuisance issues, many public housing residents consider installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) outside their unit doors. However, this seemingly reasonable security measure may cross legal boundaries under current public housing management policies. According to the latest data from the Housing Bureau, complaints and inquiries about public housing residents installing recording equipment outside their doors without permission remain high. The Housing Department has explicitly stated that it has no plans to "legalize" such actions, and violators may face the most severe penalty of having their units repossessed.

Unauthorized Installation of CCTV Outside Units is a Violation

When renovating or upgrading security equipment in public housing, residents must clearly distinguish the policy boundaries between "inside the unit" and "outside the unit." According to the current policy of the Housing Authority, public housing tenants are strictly prohibited from installing any CCTV cameras or recording equipment in public areas outside their unit doors, including corridors, stairwells, or above the entrance. In response to a Legislative Council inquiry, the Housing Bureau revealed that over the past three fiscal years (2023 to 2025), the Housing Department received approximately 250 inquiries or complaints about public housing tenants installing CCTV outside their doors, averaging 80 cases per year.

For residents, installing recording equipment inside the unit (such as in the living room or entrance area) generally does not require permission from the Housing Department, provided that the installation does not involve altering the unit's structure or modifying the owner's (Housing Department's) original fixtures, such as the door, iron gate, or wall casing. If drilling or wiring is needed during renovation, care should be taken to avoid public areas or damaging structural walls. However, once a camera is installed outside the door, even for anti-theft purposes, the Housing Department will consider it an unauthorized installation. The Housing Department emphasizes that if it discovers residents installing CCTV outside their doors without permission, it will immediately demand removal; if the resident refuses to comply and the nuisance persists, the department has the right to take action under the tenancy agreement, including terminating the lease and repossessing the unit.

About 160 cases of neighborhood nuisance per year

Why do residents install CCTV at the risk of violating regulations? This is often closely related to neighborhood disputes. Data from the Housing Department shows that in the past three years, it has received about 500 complaints from public housing residents about neighbors causing nuisance outside their doors, averaging about 160 cases per year. The nuisance behaviors vary widely, from littering, stacking items at doorways, to noise or provocative acts. If such behaviors violate the "Estate Management Marking Scheme," such as dumping waste, the Housing Department will issue warnings or deduct points from the offending residents.

However, many residents hope to use self-installed CCTV footage as "court evidence" to demand enforcement by the Housing Department, but reality often falls short. Previously, a resident applied for judicial review to the High Court, protesting the Housing Department's refusal to accept privately recorded footage. The Housing Bureau pointed out that the current enforcement basis requires property management staff to witness the incident in person or catch the offender red-handed. Relying solely on privately installed CCTV footage provided by residents often involves legal disputes such as illegal evidence collection or invasion of privacy, making it difficult to serve as the sole evidence for point deductions. Therefore, residents who want to punish their neighbors by installing cameras often face the double dilemma of "evidence not being accepted" and "violating regulations themselves."

Housing Department has no intention to set up an approval mechanism

Faced with suggestions from the society to establish a "legal application mechanism" allowing residents to install door cameras in compliance with the Privacy Ordinance, the Housing Bureau has clearly stated that there are currently no such plans. The authority explained that this is mainly to avoid further deteriorating neighborly relations. In the densely populated public housing environment, corridors outside doors are public areas, and private installation of recording equipment can easily arouse neighbors' suspicion and unease, affecting harmonious neighborly relations.

The Housing Department stated that it has already installed security CCTV cameras managed by the department in public areas, elevators, and lobbies of various buildings according to actual conditions to enhance overall security standards. The department emphasized that official installations will place clear notices in monitored areas to ensure transparency. For neighbor disputes arising from living habits, lack of communication, or mental health issues, estate staff will proactively intervene to mediate, and when necessary, refer cases to social welfare agencies for counseling, rather than relying solely on recording equipment to resolve social conflicts. For public housing residents, when considering enhancing security, they should prioritize reporting issues to the estate office rather than installing facilities without authorization, to avoid losing the big picture for small gains, which could lead to the repossession of public housing.

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