Landlord put CCTV cameras in a tenant’s kitchen and lounge, then lied about his consent. Her punishment went far beyond a $10,000 fine
'It was an intentional act,' the Tribunal noted.
Just because an individual is renting a room does not mean they have to give up their privacy. Lai Tai Leung, a.k.a. Anna McLeod, a landlord in Christchurch, New Zealand, was brought before the Tenancy Tribunal after a former tenant showed evidence that she had violated his privacy by installing CCTV cameras. Leung defended herself and said that her tenant knew about it. However, when the council found out this was not her first strike, they demanded she pay for it. The story was also reported by Star News Christchurch on November 12, 2026.
Bad boarding home operator
Lai Tai Leung was a boarding house operator in Christchurch, a city in South New Zealand. She had placed several cameras in her tenants' communal spaces, including the kitchen, the lounge room, and even outside near the car park and exit. She had six tenants living in the house. The tenant who gave evidence said he knew about the cameras but felt uncomfortable about being monitored. He admitted they made him uncomfortable since his girlfriend stayed over sometimes. However, Leung told the council that every single one of her tenants knew that there were cameras on her property since she included that information in the tenancy contract.
She believed there was "no harassment" on her end. They said, "Placing a CCTV camera inside the premises is a gross breach of a tenant’s quiet enjoyment. It was an intentional act; it was obviously against the tenant’s interests; it had an effect on the tenant because it was a gross invasion of privacy; and it was against the public interest," as per 1News.
Rejected fire risks
The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment conducted a thorough investigation and found that Leung was operating her boarding house illegally. The council had issued an abatement notice in June 2016 requiring the boarding-house activity to stop. In October 2017, she received a Dangerous Building Notice because of fire risks. Her tenants moved out, but during a 2025 council visit, it was found to be rented again as a boarding house. She claimed the house met the health and safety requirements, but the tribunal refused to believe her. They added, "The landlord knew what the legislative requirements were but continued to flout them. The landlord’s actions were obviously against the tenant’s interests by exposing the tenant to potential harm. They had an effect on the tenant, who gave evidence that once alerted to this breach, he feared for his safety and left."
The tribunal found out that Leung did not have required insulation, insurance statements, and Healthy Home Standards. The tenant added that he was not aware of fire evacuation procedures, and after hearing all the evidence of breaches, the tribunal ordered her to pay a total of $9,411.56 to the tenant. This included his compensation, rent reimbursement, and extra money for her punishment. The tribunal didn't stop at that. It also imposed a four-year restraining order, reasoning it "cannot be confident" Leung wouldn't stop breaching the tenancy law.
Rental surveillance cameras
Being recorded without one's knowledge is a genuine fear many tenants have. A 2025 Rently survey of 500 U.S. renters found that 35% worried about being monitored without consent, while 17% were uneasy about indoor surveillance cameras even when they were turned off. Separately, a June 2025 IPX survey of more than 1,000 Americans found that 58% worried about hidden cameras in vacation rentals and 47% said they had encountered a camera in one. The tenant saw the cameras at Leung's boarding home and admitted, "They [cameras] made him feel uncomfortable."
Crazy foam is the solution
Netizens left solutions and even knew of other places that did the same. Paul Douglas expressed a concern, "We need far fewer landlords in this country. They're doing irreparable damage to our communities by buying all the entry-level homes, and forcing the people who should be able to own them into rentals."
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