Everyone is entitled to a degree of privacy in their lives and protecting your privacy is a human and civil right. Although not all countries have privacy laws most will, and the laws will include rights prohibiting invasion of privacy in the home and communications.
The Right to Privacy
The right to privacy is perhaps one of the most difficult rights to actually define. We often hear of celebrities talking about the invasion of their privacy by the media and yet privacy laws are set in place to offer protection. The Human Rights Act 1998 guarantees protection of privacy for all in Britain as set out in the European Convention on human rights. However, in the UK there is no actual legislation that recognises rights of privacy.
Defining Privacy
Privacy can be broken down into four individual but linked parts:
- Privacy of Information, also known as data protection and includes personal and government records
- Communications, this covers the security of issues such as telephone calls, email and postal documents
- Privacy of territory including the working environment, the home and public spaces
- Privacy of the body including genetic and drug testing and other such invasive searches or trespasses
Discrimination Claim Eligibility Checker
Determines if your situation meets legal criteria for a discrimination claim under UK law.
Try our Discrimination Claim Eligibility Checker free, here on this site →The Need for Privacy
Without the governing rules on privacy it would be a lot easier for individuals to gain information on others. It would also be a lot harder for prosecutions against individuals that invade the privacy of others. Data protection is set in place in order that problems such as identity theft do not happen, although identity theft can and often does happen. The right to privacy will sometimes conflict with the freedom of information rules and confusion can occur over exactly where the boundaries are set.
Protecting Your Privacy
With identity theft becoming an increasing threat it is important to take steps towards protecting your own personal information. The Internet has made obtaining personal information a lot easier and bank account theft via the Internet is rife. Once criminals have hold of certain personal information they can open bank accounts, obtain state benefits and passports and even apply for jobs under a stolen identity. Criminals have even been known to search refuse bins to gain paper documentation giving personal details that can be used for fraudulent purposes.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Steps to Protect Information
There are a number of simple steps that can be taken to stop personal information ending up in the wrong hands. These steps will include shredding all personal documents such as bank account and credit card statements. Always check bank statements for any transactions that look suspicious. Implementing good virus scanners on home computers and frequently change account passwords. Always redirect mail and inform banks as soon as you move to a new house. Never use public computers to access confidential information.
Privacy Exemptions and the Home
Of course there are certain exemptions to privacy rights. There are a number of complex rules that govern the type of officials that can and cannot enter a person’s home. The police can enter a person’s home but only if they have obtained a search warrant. Similarly, gas and electricity companies can enter a home without permission if they have a court warrant. Court appointed bailiffs can enter the home if permission is granted but they are rarely allowed to break in as is commonly assumed.
Although the general public may find a celebrity’s lack of privacy slightly ironic the right to privacy is an important human right. Breaching a person’s privacy is harassment and there can be legal consequences for those that do so. Identity theft is a particularly serious crime and those found breaking the law can face serious fines and jail sentences.
Then they started saying that the grass verge along side my garage was there's as it was attach to their drive way. I tried to tell them that it was not theirs but mine as my garage over hangs it and my drainage runs though it and if it was theirs I would not be able to get to my gutters or maintain the drains. I started to build a shed on the back of garage. I took a few bricks off my wall to level to run the joists of it. two days latter the council turned up saying that they had a complaint; they tried to say the wall that was tied to my garage was theirs, was once they had seen it they could not see any problem. The wooden fence came down and the wall went up 2.2m plus feet single block with a few columns they raised there side of the wall by 1.5m. I cleared of the side garden so i could put a drive in. Once the earth was removed I was shocked to see the footings of the wall 100mm in depth and 100mm from the block. I informed the council of my concerns and nothing was done about it. I placed a course of blocks against the footings and concrete right up to them reinforcing their wall. shortly after they had built their wall a trampoline, barbeques with them looking down into my garden. I started to clean up my back garden. My dad was a builder a taught me a lot. I wanted to make the top garden assessable for my wife made some plans and set to work 2018. From the bottom to the top garden 2.3m with a slop of 10m. I dug out the footings 8.8m by 1.4m with a death of 1.5m. built my wall main 7.2m by 2.2m by 650mm and side 10m by 2.2m by 430mm hollow blocks and rebar and to be filled with concrete. Filled the void (2 ton digger parked on top of the wall) about to get the concrete delivered and the council turn up as they have had a complaint, work stopped as they are not sure if the wall will topple over. I was told to put in planning, explained about next door and they did not have planning for their wall and you want me to put in planning. I put in planning for the wall steps, garden room and wind turbine. got the plans drawn up and submitted. since then my neighbour has extended the house by a 1/3rd. 2021 told by my neighbour that the plans refused. phoned up and asked if this was true and i was told they were refused under grounds of privacy as i could now look into my neighbours upstairs windows 10m away and the neighbours windows 20m way(know matter were you stand in the top garden you can see window) and look down into their garden. even the steps turned down as you can see into next doors garden. the garden room nut in keeping, even though it was to have a living roof an
- During the period of high winds in mid-March the boundary (wooden fence supported by concrete posts) between my property and my neighbours (end of garden, not side)
- This meant the fence was not only beyond repair but the supporting concrete posts and one corner post need to be replaced entirely.
- I spoke to the Council and Land Registry who said where a border was not designated (unlike one other border adjacent to my property which I am responsible for) the most common and sensible solution was for both parties to spilt costs and arrange the repairs. I spoke to RICS also who confirmed that this was the case.
- We have tried several times to speak to the neighbours, including polite letters posted through their door. However, other than a brief voicemail left by them a while ago saying basically saying "you fix it, not our problem" they are not engaging in contact.
We have sought quotes from reputable tradespeople and have included this information in correspondence to them, but they have chosen not to reply in any form.
- All we are trying to do is reach a solution - ideally splitting the cost of repair given the boundary is not designated. However, they are unwilling to communicate do I have any legal routes to sort this, particularly whether they are infringing my right to privacy.
- To note - Even if I were to proceed and try to get the boundary repaired, the tradesperson would still need access to their garden.
Thanks in advance!
A neighbour contacted me regarding changing my fence (she also contacted another neighbour about replacing their boundary fence as she wanted all the fencing to be the same in her garden). Her garden runs perpendicular to mine.
I phoned to discuss the matter the same day as receiving her note only to be told by her that she had already purchased the fence. I wanted to discuss the height of the new fence as the 5ft fence that was already there was not high enough as she has a large trampoline placed at the end of her very long garden. The trampoline is directly in line with my garden and house and geographically, the trampoline is closer to my property than her own. That combined with two very noisy children who are constantly disturbing our privacy means that I am unable to sit and enjoy my space.
As a good will gesture I made a financial contributed to the fence as it is my responsibility and was in some disrepair (I had only recently moved into the property and hadn't got round to replacing it at the time).
Who's property is the fence, as the neighbour is adamant that it is hers?
I long term rent an end house of a street, (council owned). To the left of my property is a footpath then a 5ft grass verge, then the main road.
The 1m fence is in a severe state of disrepair due to storms. There is also a busy bus stop situated on grass verge.
My question is am I allowed to ask for a privacy fence as the path is 2ft higher than my sloping garden?
I have 2 children. in 9years we have never been able to enjoy the garden due to lack of privacy. I dug out a level circular section last year for the children to finally have a usable pool, but the amount of unwanted stares into my garden from strangers and bus users put us off and I took the pool back down.
Please help.
We have lived in our house for 19 yrs. We have 6 ft fence up in our back garden, which is ours.
And our neighbours have put down decking which comes up about 2ft up our fence, so now they can look straight into our kitchen window. So I would like to know where stand on our privacy please.
Hope you can help
Ask Civil Rights Movement a question
Ask our editorial team a question and we will reply with our advice. Tell us as much about your situation as you can: the more detail you give, the more useful our answer can be.
You do not need to use your real name. Please do not include your full address, phone number, email address, or the names of other people. We may edit or remove identifying details for privacy and legal reasons.
Comments are moderated before publication.