Exterior Surveillance in Tourist Accommodation: What You Can Record, What You Cannot, and How to Avoid Fines from the AEPD

Placing a camera at the door of your tourist accommodation seems like the perfect solution to monitor who enters, who leaves, and to prevent illegal parties. But video surveillance in holiday rentals has very strict rules in Spain, and a poorly placed camera can cost you between 900 and 40,000 euros in fines. In this post, I explain what you can record, what is prohibited, how to inform your guests, and what the difference is between a legal outdoor camera and one that will cause problems with the AEPD.

Why this topic matters (a lot)

More and more owners are installing cameras at the entrance of their tourist apartments. There are plenty of reasons: to control the number of guests entering, detect parties, prevent squatters, and have evidence in case of damages. All legitimate.

The problem is that video surveillance is regulated by the GDPR and the LOPDGDD (Organic Law on Data Protection). And the Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD) is especially strict with cameras recording spaces where third parties are present: neighbors, passersby, delivery personnel.

A penalty for poorly installed video surveillance can easily range from 2,000 to 6,000 euros for an individual. And it’s not an anecdote: the AEPD publishes fines every week on this topic.

What YOU can record

Let’s go with what is permitted, which is more restrictive than you think:

• Your front door: the actual door of the apartment, framed so that only the door and doormat are visible. Not the entire landing.
• The interior of your property in outdoor common areas: for example, a private garden, a private terrace, your plot.
• Private access points: if you have an independent entrance leading to a private hallway (not communal), you can record it.

The key word is: proportionality. You can only record the minimum necessary space to protect your property.

What you CANNOT record (never)

This is where most people make mistakes:

• Building common areas: landings, hallways, stairs, lobby. Even if your camera is yours, the space is not.
• Public roads: street, sidewalk, front doors of neighboring buildings. Not a single centimeter.
• Neighbors’ doors: if your camera even briefly focuses on a neighbor’s door, it’s illegal.
• Interior zones of the residence where the guest has an expectation of privacy: living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen. Never do it.
• Audio: recording sound is much more restricted than video. In general, do not do it.

Important: the AEPD has sanctioned cameras that "barely" recorded a small part of the common landing. There is no margin. Either the framing is only your door, or it’s illegal.

Community of neighbors: do you need permission?

It depends on where you place the camera:

Location	Do you need community approval?
Inside your home (interior)	No
Focusing only on your door	Recommended to notify, but not mandatory
In common areas (landing, lobby, staircase)	Yes, approval at a meeting with a 3/5 majority
On the building facade	Yes, approval at a meeting
On your private terrace or garden	No

If your community has already approved restrictions on tourist rentals, be careful: review the statutes before installing anything. It may interest you to read about whether they can prohibit you from renting your tourist apartment in your building.

Legal obligations if you install a camera

If you decide to install video surveillance, you must comply with these SURE:

1. Visible informational sign

A sign in a visible area before accessing the recorded space. It must include:

• Camera icon
• That the area is under video surveillance
• Data controller (your name or company)
• How to exercise rights (contact email)
• Reference to detailed information

The AEPD has free templates on its website. Use them.

2. Extended information available

In addition to the sign, you must have more detailed information: purpose, legal basis, retention period, rights. It can be on your website or provided to the guest.

3. Record of processing activities

Yes, even if you are an individual with a flat, if you record images of identifiable persons, you must keep a basic data processing record.

4. Maximum retention period: 30 days

Recordings can be stored for a maximum of one month unless there is an incident and you need them as evidence (then they should be handed over to the police or court).

5. Inform guests

In the welcome manual, in the listing, in the pre-arrival email. Guests must know there is an exterior camera before booking. If you want to refine this part, check what to communicate to your guests before they arrive.

Interior cameras: almost always illegal

Many people ask about this, so I clarify: you cannot place cameras inside your tourist accommodation while guests are present. Neither in the living room nor hidden. Nor "just to monitor when no one is there".

Airbnb expressly prohibits any interior cameras from 2024. Booking does the same. And the AEPD considers it a serious violation of privacy.

The only very limited exceptions:

• Noise sensors (do not record images or audio, only measure decibels). More details at noise sensors in tourist accommodation.
• Cameras in clearly non-private spaces like a separate garage, always with signage.

Alternatives if you don’t want to deal with cameras

There are intermediate options that avoid legal trouble:

• Smart locks with access logs: you know who enters and when, without recording anyone. More info at how to manage keys for your tourist rental.
• Occupancy sensors: detect if more people are present than reserved without recording images.
• Noise sensors: to detect parties before neighbors call the police.
• Video doorbells like Ring: if properly configured (only your door), they can be legal, but follow the same rules as any camera.

Actual sanctions from the AEPD

Some examples published in recent years:

Offense	Fine
Camera focusing on public road without justification	1,500 - 3,000 euros
Camera recording common area without permission	2,000 - 6,000 euros
Interior camera in tourist rental	10,000 - 30,000 euros
Lack of informational sign	300 - 1,500 euros
Recording with audio without justification	3,000 - 10,000 euros

These are typical ranges. The amount depends on whether you are an individual or a company, if it’s a repeat offense, and the severity of the damage.

Checklist before installing a camera

Before buying and installing the camera:

1. Does the camera only focus on my door or my private space? If it records anything communal, no.
2. Have I placed a visible informational sign before access?
3. Do I have extended information available?
4. Have I informed guests in the listing and in the pre-arrival email?
5. Do I store recordings for a maximum of 30 days?
6. Do I have a procedure to respond if a guest requests access to their data?
7. If I touch common areas, do I have approval from the homeowners’ association?

If you answer no to any, do not install the camera yet.

How Autoregistro fits in

Video surveillance is an additional layer of control over your property, but the traveler registration in SES Hospedajes is always mandatory, whether or not you have a camera. Autoregistro handles that part: your guests fill out an online form before arrival, the data is automatically sent to SES Hospedajes complying with regulations, and you forget about it.

It costs 1 euro per month per property (less than a coffee) and saves you from having to type data one by one into the Ministry’s platform. If you also manage the traveler register with multiple properties, the difference is huge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I install a camera if my homeowners’ association says nothing in the statutes?

If the camera only focuses on your door and private space, yes. If it focuses on any common part (even a small part of the landing), you need approval from the homeowners’ meeting with a 3/5 majority.

Are video doorbells like Ring or Google Nest legal?

They can be if configured to record only your door, you have an informational sign, and you comply with all AEPD obligations. Be careful: many come with a wide-angle lens that records hallways and neighboring doors. Adjust the framing and detection zones.

Can I record the pool or garden of my tourist accommodation?

Yes, as long as they are your private spaces and you notify guests with a visible sign before access. Never record audio and limit the framing to what is strictly necessary.

What if a guest asks to see the recordings where they appear?

They have the right of access under GDPR. You have one month to respond and provide a copy of the images where they appear (blurring or removing third parties). If you do not do this, it’s a guaranteed sanction.

Can I use recordings if there are damages or thefts?

Yes, but only to hand over to the police or court as evidence. You cannot publish them on social networks or share them with the rental platform as "damage proof" without further ado. The legitimate use is to report and submit the recording to the procedure.