My neighbour who lives opposite me has installed a Ring doorbell. It means every time we leave and enter our home he could be watching us.

I know it may sound like we are being paranoid, but we don't know him well and don't like the idea of being filmed, particularly as we have young children.

We feel the doorbell is compromising our privacy, particularly as our living room and master bedroom look out over the road and both have big bay windows. 

Can we complain and how can we ensure we are not being filmed?

Ed Magnus of This is Money replies: It's often impossible to avoid feeling overlooked by neighbours in an urban setting, but with tech gadgets being increasingly used these days it can start to feel like your home is under surveillance.

Many people are now installing smart doorbells, which allow them to see who is outside their property, whether they are at home or not. 

Your neighbour is unlikely to pay any attention to the recordings, unless something happens which means they need to. 

But even if they are, most Ring doorbells only record when activated by motion or a linked device, and typically for no more than one minute at a time.

The reality is, your neighbour is within their rights to install a Ring doorbell on their property.

If you're worried, it may be worth discussing the matter with your neighbour. Be polite rather than confrontational and point out that it's making you feel uncomfortable.

For expert advice we spoke to Scarlett Doyle, a solicitor in RWK Goodman's property disputes team and Karolina Kupczyk, a partner specialising in dispute resolution at Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors.

Scarlett Doyle replies: Everyone should feel safe and comfortable in their own home, and with Ring and similar companies increasing in popularity and sales, it will be interesting to see how the courts balance the privacy of third parties against the homeowners' desire to protect themselves and their property.

The right of protection extends to your neighbour, too, and it might be they are simply taking measures to protect their home and those in it.

Guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office reminds people of the rules they need to follow when capturing images or audio recordings outside their property boundary.

Cameras should be in positions that only capture their own property. Where someone else's property is captured, data protection law applies.

This means you have the right to request a copy of this footage, because the footage can capture images and voices of other people, which counts as personal information.

Firstly, consider the distance between your property and your neighbour's camera. 

Ring suggests its doorbells have a maximum motion detection range of 30 feet. 

If your neighbour's camera is across the street, it may be you are out of range entirely.

As to how you can ensure you are not being filmed and assuming your property falls within the range, as a first step I would suggest approaching your neighbour and expressing your concerns.

You could ask if they would mind sharing recent 'motion detected' notifications they have received – they may be able to instantly put your mind at rest by showing you and your family are not detected on footage while going about your daily life.

But if your neighbour refuses to share a copy of the footage, or you review the footage and you are concerned with the content, seek legal advice for further support to help facilitate complaints and next steps.

Karolina Kupczyk replies: It is understandable that it is concerning when people feel they might be watched. 

While security is important, it should not come at the expense of your privacy. You have the right to peaceful enjoyment of your home, and the law does provide protection.

Depending on the model, a doorbell camera has a range within which it can record video and often audio. 

Those recordings can be captured 24/7 or triggered by a motion for a period of time.

Installation of such a device by your neighbour within the vicinity of your home can create various risks including invasion of privacy and data misuse – as the recordings might be stored and shared without your knowledge or consent.

A CCTV system capturing footage beyond the boundary of a private domestic property triggers duties under General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 legislation. 

Those include ensuring that the use of the camera is proportionate and not excessive. 

Further duties include transparency (e.g. signs), clear purpose, and ensuring the footage is stored securely and not kept longer than necessary.

Regulating and enforcing of this legislation is within the competences of the ICO. 

Please note this information is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. 

What can you do?

Karolina Kupczyk replies: Unfortunately, those situations can cause tensions with neighbours and an appropriate approach should be considered, taking into account individual circumstances. 

You may also consider installing a privacy screen or trellis if appropriate, to obscure the camera's view without being confrontational.

If you are worried your property is covered by the camera and you are being recorded, the suggestion would be to have a friendly chat with your neighbour to assess the area that the camera covers and the footage it records. 

Taking a balanced approach first will usually avoid a lasting conflict and it should normally be possible to adjust the coverage of the device to ensure certain areas are not captured.

If this is not possible or the neighbour refuses to cooperate you may submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) for copies of any footage that includes you or your property. 

SARs should be made in writing and include enough detail to identify the footage (e.g. time and date). A template can be found on the ICO's website. Your neighbour has one month to respond.

If the issue cannot be resolved informally, you can complain to the ICO especially if the neighbour refuses to respond to your SAR or won't adjust excessive recording.

You may also contact your local council which may help with neighbour disputes.

If the problem is not resolved, especially if the surveillance is persistent, intrusive, or being used in a harassing way, please consider seeking legal advice.

An Amazon spokesperson replied: We strongly encourage our customers to respect their neighbours' privacy and comply with all applicable laws when using their Ring device. 

Ring devices are not intended for capturing someone else’s property or public areas. We encourage customers to let their neighbours, building owner, property manager, or housing association know that they plan on adding an extra layer of security to their home before installing their Ring device. 

In all Ring device packages, customers will also find free Ring stickers to put on their door or windows to let guests know they’re on camera.

We have also put in place features and tools to assist customers, such as customisable motion zones which allow customers to better control the areas they want their Ring device to capture and privacy zones enabling customers to define an area in their device camera’s field-of-view as off-limits such as a public street or neighbouring property.