A bitter row has broken out between neighbours over a security camera one resident claims is violating their privacy.
Mollie, who lives with her mum in the south east Melbourne suburb of Carrum Downs, believes the security camera set up by her neighbour can see everything that happens in her house’s bathroom and bedrooms.
She approached her male neighbour to move the camera by the side of his house, but despite an initial promise that he would ‘look into it’ he is now refusing to do so.
‘It’s all very frustrating. [We believe] he can see everything we do in those rooms,’ Mollie told Yahoo News.
A Melbourne tenant is concerned a security camera on the neighbouring home looks directly into her house
‘We both feel really intimidated by him. We can’t use one side of the house without feeling uncomfortable. We have to have the blinds down during the day so that the camera can’t get a view of us.’
Mollie asked the neighbour to lower the camera so that it was below the fence line.
However, he eventually refused saying it was his right to have the camera up.
Police suggested Mollie try getting a personal safety intervention order (PSIO) from a court to protect her privacy but she couldn’t convince the magistrate.
‘I’ve also spoken to the local council and they have said it’s a police matter,’ she said.
‘I spoke to legal aid and they said I would need to work with a private solicitor, which I can not afford.’
According to Mollies her neighbour has also installed floodlights that shine into her house.
The security camera, visible over the fence, is highlighted here with a red circle
Despite her asking the neighbour to lower the camera below the fence line it remains in place
Tenant advocate and qualified lawyer Jordan van den Berg said there were privacy laws that Mollie might be able to appeal with.
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 appealing for helpful suggestions.
Some suggested she might need curtains or heavier blinds to ensure more privacy.