Neighbor from Melbourne complains about very ‘intrusive’ act of the neighbor
- A row of security cameras breaks out
- Woman says it’s looking into her house
- READ MORE: CCTV captures abuse
A bitter row has broken out between neighbors over a security camera that one resident claims is invading their privacy.
Mollie, who lives with her mother in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Carrum Downs, believes her neighbour’s security camera can see everything that happens in the bathroom and bedrooms of her home.
She approached her male neighbor to place the camera next to his house, but despite an initial promise that he would ‘look into it’ he now refuses to do so.
‘It’s all very frustrating. [We believe] he can see everything we do in those rooms,” Mollie said Yahoo News.
A Melbourne tenant is concerned that a security camera from the neighboring house is looking directly into her home
‘We both feel very intimidated by him. We can’t use any side of the house without feeling uncomfortable. During the day we have to have the sun blinds down so that the camera can’t get a view of us.’
Mollie asked the neighbor to lower the camera so that it was under the fence.
Ultimately, however, he refused, saying it was his right to hold the camera up.
Police suggested Mollie obtain a personal security intervention order (PSIO) from a court to protect her privacy, but she was unable to convince the magistrate.
“I have also spoken to the council and they have said it is a police matter,” she said.
‘I spoke to legal aid and they said I would have to work with a private lawyer, which I can’t afford.’
According to Mollies, her neighbor has also installed spotlights that shine into her house.
The security camera, visible over the fence, is marked here with a red circle
Even though she asked the neighbor to lower the camera under the fence, it remains in place
Tenant advocate and qualified lawyer Jordan van den Berg said there are privacy laws that Mollie could potentially appeal.
He suggested she go to the Victorian Ombudsman if private lawyers were beyond her means.
Mollie also posted her dilemma on the Don’t Rent Me Facebook group, calling for helpful suggestions.
Some suggested she might need curtains or heavier blinds to ensure more privacy.