Q: I’m the property supervisor of a rental constructing in Midtown East. In latest months, there was a rise within the disappearance of packages left in lobbies unattended by supply staff. (The supply guys are buzzing all day, so it is onerous to trace who’s coming and who’s going.) We’ve surveillance cameras in public locations, however they’re for the security of our tenants, monitoring packages not for. However tenants are asking to see video footage to research lacking packages. Am I allowed or obligated to share this footage with tenants? What are my obligations?
A: You should tackle a safety difficulty in your constructing, however sharing video footage with tenants isn’t the answer. Individuals do not anticipate privateness in a foyer, however in addition they do not anticipate their landlord to share movies of them receiving their packages. This request raises difficult points: How a lot tape do you share? What do you do with the knowledge you acquire? And when you present one tenant the video footage, what do you do when the subsequent tenant asks for it?
“It is a slippery slope,” mentioned Louis A. Barrack, chief of the litigation division on the Manhattan legislation agency Rosenberg & Estes.
Briefly, it’s not your job to research doable legal exercise. That is what the police are for. In the event you consider against the law has occurred within the constructing, or if tenants request entry to video to assessment it, contact your native precinct for steering.
“Take it to the police division and say, ‘Hey, we’ve a number of packages which have gone lacking that we expect are the results of theft,'” Ms. Barrack mentioned. Inform them the right way to proceed.
However because the property supervisor, you may make your constructing secure for the residents. Examine the locks on the outside doorways to verify they’re correctly engaged. Publish indicators within the foyer that the realm is monitored by video surveillance, which might deter thieves. Flow into a letter to tenants reminding them to select up packages promptly and watch out about who they focus on within the constructing. Think about putting in a bundle locker, which can present one other layer of safety to your tenants.
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