spycamera to keep watch on tenant activities

B

bitspilani

Contributor
Hi
we are planning to give top floor on rent to students and we are thinking of putting a camera on the stairs to keep a watch as to who is coming and going. Please suggest a good spycamera and expenses involved :ashamed:
 
i think its illegal to put spy cameras with out the knowledge of your tenants. Also if you are so afraid of whos coming and going why rent it to students ?
 
You are allowed to monitor your own home for security reasons. If you have a security system installed in an accommodation which you are renting out, you have to disclose its presence to the tenant, as well as details about how it is monitored. If the tenant wants it disabled and removed, you *have* to comply.

If you are at all uncomfortable about renting out your accommodation, do not rent it out at all. That is the best form of security you can get.

Without being judgmental, what exactly it is that you are scared of and what do you think a 'spy camera' will help prevent? That would be a more relevant question to ask. We have a legal system that is designed to protect citizens - and assuming you follow its letter and spirit (meaning have a proper agreement, pay the right amount of property tax, etc), you have nothing to fear.
 
Even if its aimed at access stairs to the room, he is legally obliged to inform the tenants about the same.

He can very well have camera over his own door, but not pointing anywhere else other than his door if he is renting out a part of the property to someone else.
 
^^True that. If it is at the entry point to a shared access, it needs consent. So if it is on the stairwell to be used by anyone else apart from the owner, that person needs to be aware and agrees to the camera. He can monitor his own entrance only, no permission is needed for that.

Sheru - the TS is very clear in what he wants - to monitor the comings and goings of his tenants, who are students, and he is suspicious of them at the outset. It is illegal and immoral to do so, and someone with that kind of mindset had better not rent out property to students in the first place. I've been to Pilani (if the moniker rings true), and the things I saw and did there make me cringe even today - and that was when I was a student, over twenty years ago. It is understandable to some extent, but when you rent out property the worst thing that can happen is a 'sitter'. We have plenty of them in Calcutta, mostly from a single community, and honestly to some of the victims who have leased out their property, a bunch of drunk and wild students would be a blessing because in four years, they would be gone.
 
cranky said:
you have to disclose its presence to the tenant, as well as details about how it is monitored. If the tenant wants it disabled and removed, you *have* to comply.
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Tell them verbally that entrance to the flat is monitored, maybe even a clause to that effect in the lease.

If they say no, tell them to find another place otherwise they've been informed at the outset.

Don't do anything and wait & see how they behave, if it becomes necessary install it later, you've got their consent anyway.

Students are the worst kind of tennants to have, you'd be better off with working ppl. Otherwise be hyper-selective with who you let in and be aggressive with the lease.
 
Ha! but you do agree ?

OP is talking about keeping these ppl on his top floor. If he plans on getting any sleep how does he ensure this. Students can keep any sorts of hours, they can invite all sorts of friends. He hopes they make the rent at the end of the month. They usually do not take much care of the premises at all. I've seen quite a few places where students stay, usually they are a last resort for a landlord, for a place that cannot be rented out for more and ideally the landlord does not live in the same house.

The key point here is working or not as that places restraints on what one can do with their time. What's arguably worse is service appartments, but at least the payout is good with them. Again landlord does not want to live in the same house if he values his sanity.
 
why dont you have a camera outside the main door of your house. that would mean you are monitoring people who are taking the stairs to the top floor as well. you dont even need to inform your tenants or take their consent to do that.
 
blr_p said:
Ha! but you do agree ?

OP is talking about keeping these ppl on his top floor. If he plans on getting any sleep how does he ensure this. Students can keep any sorts of hours, they can invite all sorts of friends. He hopes they make the rent at the end of the month. They usually do not take much care of the premises at all. I've seen quite a few places where students stay, usually they are a last resort for a landlord, for a place that cannot be rented out for more and ideally the landlord does not live in the same house.

The key point here is working or not as that places restraints on what one can do with their time. What's arguably worse is service apartments, but at least the payout is good with them. Again landlord does not want to live in the same house if he values his sanity.
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he wants to install a "SPY CAMERA" not a security camera also what will he gain by monitoring who comes and goes...i think the OP want no girls or boys to enter his house depending upon the gender he is lending his upper floor to. Better dont lend them the floor as this attitude would create problems for him and the tenants in the future
 
alternative option.

hire a watchman and pay him to inform you who is coming and going.

overall prompt alert system without risk of imprisonment. :P

the general rule to follow is to not limit someone else's freedom for the sake of your security without concern on the same matter, otherwise that will backfire on you itself if discovered otherwise.
 
If you are not comfortable in renting out the top floor to students, then dont do it. Its better to end it now then creating a big mess later! Two of my classmates had this big problem with landlord who didnt allow any of their friends inside and used to shout at us,But at the time of taking deposit and all they didnt inform my classmates about this stuff.From now on we are very clear with the flat owners that we wont damage your stuff and keep everything in good condition at the same time we dont want any interference or shouting on our visitors.
 
madnav said:
hire a watchman and pay him to inform you who is coming and going.
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Watchmen are the most useless utility, conveniently they are absent during the time of action. CCTV are real deterrent. I am also looking for some good recommendation on CCTV. Anyone?

+LT
 
@blr_p - I think the TS is being hypocritical. Look at the post #15 for the correct answer. I've had extreme problems getting an accommodation for myself, specially when in the south of the country, for the prejudiced and biased notion that bachelors are bad tenants. This is when I was in my late 20s, had a job that paid me well but worked me so hard I never had time enough to go home and sleep, let alone party. The kind of accommodation brokers showed me when I briefed them were not fit for even the homeless, they were clearly the work of greedy houseowners who wanted to make a fast buck by parting out some obscure cubbyholes for cash. Only when I told them what my budget was, did they sit up and take notice, and finally started showing me the good stuff. Eventually though, I found the digs using the newspaper or personal contacts, and I managed to get lucky.

In any exchange between two desperate people, no one ever wins. Camera or not.
 
cranky said:
@blr_p - I think the TS is being hypocritical.
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Do not follow this bit.

cranky said:
Look at the post #15 for the correct answer.
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I agree with #15, can't tack on conditionalities after the lease is signed assuming there even was one. That said a landlord has rights over his house, they get to say how long guests will stay with them. The correct thing to do in that instance was to vacate. Why put up with the aggro otherwise ?

cranky said:
I've had extreme problems getting an accommodation for myself, specially when in the south of the country, for the prejudiced and biased notion that bachelors are bad tenants.
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Ahh, i figured you misunderstood my point which qualified non-working bachelors ie students as opposed to salaried ones. Implication being less of a nuisance on average. The other thing is you are dealing with a number of ppl instead of just one. You could be the best judge of character there is but still be learning tricks. With more ppl, revolving at that, the odds of lucking out get worse. Basically its more hassle for the same amount of money if not less than dealing with just one party. Its better to deal with one salaried bachelor than a bunch of students.
cranky said:
This is when I was in my late 20s, had a job that paid me well but worked me so hard I never had time enough to go home and sleep, let alone party. The kind of accommodation brokers showed me when I briefed them were not fit for even the homeless, they were clearly the work of greedy houseowners who wanted to make a fast buck by parting out some obscure cubbyholes for cash. Only when I told them what my budget was, did they sit up and take notice, and finally started showing me the good stuff. Eventually though, I found the digs using the newspaper or personal contacts, and I managed to get lucky.
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Bachelors have it tough everywhere in comparison to spinsters who for some reason are taken as having less fight in them :)

I've been in a similar situation abroad and it was resolved as you said.

cranky said:
In any exchange between two desperate people, no one ever wins. Camera or not.
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This one is little bit deep. In an ideal world two parties ought to reach an agreement, given the parties are consistant and reasonable.
 
I don't think you're reading my posts.

The TS basically says on the one hand that he would like to rent out the acco to students (meaning taking a risk) and on the other hand, would like to monitor their activity (which is trying to hedge the bet). He can't have it both ways.

Its better to deal with one salaried bachelor than a bunch of students.
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I think that would depend on the individual people involved. As a statement it is partisan and biased, because it is made without knowledge of the specific people involved. I know as humans we tend to be biased, but fairness involves evaluating specific circumstances and evidences, not generally held beliefs (one of which used to be that the earth is flat).

For example, I could argue that a drug abusing hard rock addicted advertising copywriter (and I know quite a few of them who are exactly like that, and are easy enough to spot) would be much worse than a bunch of top-scoring engineering students (and I know a lot of guys exactly like that as well, present-day students mind you). Therefore, I choose not to get judgmental until I actually talk to people rather than adhere to conventional wisdom...

This one is little bit deep.
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Thankfully :)
 
I know why OP wants a camera to monitor who is coming in tenets area, ;) to know when hot chicks are in the haus.
 
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