CCTV for apartment balconies and shared entryways: what's actually allowed

A camera covering your own balcony or front door is generally your call to make, but cameras aimed at shared corridors, other residents' doors, or building entrances fall under building management's domain, not something to set up unilaterally. Getting that distinction right avoids both a wasted install and friction with other residents or management.

Your own balcony or unit door

A camera covering your own balcony or angled at your own front door is generally your call to make, similar to a doorbell camera, since it's monitoring your own space and entry point, no different in principle from any other device you'd install inside your own unit.

Balconies specifically need care with neighboring units

In many apartment buildings, balconies sit close enough to neighboring units that a camera aimed broadly at your own balcony can incidentally capture a neighbor's balcony or windows too. Angling deliberately to cover your own space rather than the widest possible view avoids this becoming a source of friction with neighbors, even when the camera's primary purpose is entirely legitimate.

Shared corridors and building entrances

Cameras capturing shared hallways, other residents' doors, or common building entrances typically fall under building management's domain, not something to set up unilaterally, since it affects other residents' privacy too, and most buildings already have their own camera coverage on shared areas that a private install would be duplicating anyway.

If your building doesn't have adequate shared-area coverage

If you feel shared entryways or corridors genuinely lack security coverage, raising it with building management directly is the appropriate path, rather than installing your own camera pointed into shared space, which is both a coverage decision that isn't yours alone to make and typically not something building bylaws will actually permit.

What we check before installing

We help angle cameras to cover your own space and entry point without unnecessarily capturing shared areas or neighboring units, and flag it clearly if a specific request would cross into building-managed territory, so you get real coverage of what matters to you without creating an avoidable dispute.