Home » Answers Hub » Photos and video evidence
Often, yes. Photographing the property, the front door, and documents left in position is routine evidence gathering, and some servers use body worn video on instructions where a dispute about service is likely. Filming or photographing people is done sparingly and lawfully: it is personal data, so it must be justified, proportionate and handled under UK GDPR, and reputable firms have policies governing exactly when cameras are used and how footage is kept.
Cameras in this context are about one thing: making service undeniable. They are not surveillance of you, your family or your life; they are a record that a specific event happened at a specific place and time.
The property itself, confirming the right address was attended; the door or letterbox where documents were delivered or left; indicators of occupation noted in the attempt log, a vehicle on the drive, a name on the bell; and occasionally the handover context where refusal is anticipated. Photographs of the person served exist but are the exception: most identification is verbal and observational, recorded in writing, and an image is taken only where identity is likely to be disputed and the circumstances make it proportionate.
Images of identifiable people are personal data, so a server's use of photography and video sits squarely under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018: there must be a lawful basis, in practice legitimate interests in evidencing service, the intrusion must be necessary and proportionate to that purpose, and the material must be stored securely, used only for the purpose, and not retained longer than needed. Filming in public places and at a doorstep for evidential purposes is lawful within those limits; covert filming inside private spaces is another matter entirely and no part of process serving. Members of the Association of British Investigators work to a code of conduct, approved by the Information Commissioner's Office, that embeds these duties, and Tremark's evidence handling also sits within its ISO 27001 certified information security framework.
You are entitled to ask the instructing firm what was captured and why, and data protection rights, access, and erasure where retention is no longer justified, apply. In practice the material exists for one purpose: to be exhibited to a certificate or affidavit if you dispute being served, and never to be used otherwise.
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This page provides general information about the law and practice in England and Wales and is not legal advice. Rules change and individual circumstances vary; always take advice from a solicitor on your specific situation. Prices shown are indicative, exclusive of VAT and confirmed in writing before any work begins.