More HOA-governed communities are beefing up neighborhood security with cameras, including automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology and Flock Safety systems. As the use of such surveillance technology grows, real estate professionals are finding themselves fielding more questions from buyers.
The issue recently surfaced in a Reddit discussion, where an agent said a buyer canceled a showing after learning that the HOA had Flock cameras at both entrances, including one near the community pool. Other agents said the issue has prompted them to consider adding questions to their buyer consultations about clients’ comfort levels with HOAs that use such technology.
The cameras capture license place photos and monitor vehicles that travel through the community, possibly raising a new question to prospective home buyers: Is neighborhood surveillance a security amenity or a privacy concern?
Existing homeowners have raised concerns, too. In Brentwood, Calif., for example, the city is seeking to revoke a permit for an HOA-controlled Flock system after residents complained about private surveillance on public streets in their neighborhood.
Compounding the issue, HOA governing documents often fail to address the technology, says Mike Schwab, CEO of Association Online, a company that aims to bring greater transparency to HOA transactions. Schwab’s company is part of the 2026 cohort of the National Association of REALTORS®’ REACH program.
“This has become a new issue,” Schwab says. “But the [HOA] documents are silent on them."
That can make it difficult for prospective home buyers and their real estate agents to know whether a community uses surveillance technology, what its policies are and what happens to the data.
“There is no precedent that says the HOA has to disclose this or not,” Schwab says. In many cases, the only way to find out is to ask the HOA directly. That’s the type of information Association Online is asking about so that agents and their buyers can have a clearer picture of this and other rules within the HOA before they commit to a property.
After all, vehicle surveillance may only be the beginning, Schwab says. HOAs also are starting to adopt AI-powered tools to monitor communities and identify potential rule violations.
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Among ALPR systems, Flock Safety cameras have emerged as a major player in the field and are specifically marketed to HOAs. The company says its cameras can help enhance neighborhood security and even assist police investigations, with the goal of reducing crimes such as “mail and package theft,” home invasions, vandalism, trespassing and burglary. According to the Flock website, its software does not analyze facial features but focuses on license plates and other vehicle attributes. HOAs can ultimately decide whether to share captured data or keep it private.
Flock says its hardware is installed in more than 6,000 communities nationwide.
What Real Estate Pros Are Experiencing
In some communities, license plate readers are being marketed as a neighborhood security amenity, much like gates, guards or neighborhood patrols, says Matt Brown, a broker associate at William Raveis Real Estate in Naples, Fla.
In his market, Brown says, gated and golf communities are using the systems at entrance gates as a selling feature for homeowners looking for additional security. He says he has never had a homeowner decide against buying a property because an ALPR system was installed at the entrance.
“In fact, many buyers in gated communities today expect some form of electronic surveillance when purchasing a property in those types of developments,” he says.
Matthew Scarborough, team leader of Keller Williams’ Scarborough Realty Group in Santa Fe, N.M., says the topic is coming up much more frequently in gated and HOA-governed communities.
“Buyers touring properties in gated or HOA-managed communities sometimes ask directly whether entry or exit is tracked, and some appreciate the added security, while others may find it intrusive,” Scarborough says. “It’s rarely a dealbreaker, but it does come up in the conversation more than it did even two years ago."
For Greg Field, a real estate professional with HomeSmart in Phoenix, the divide often comes down to the type of buyer.
“Flock cameras and automatic license plate readers are like the new wrought-iron gates in Scottsdale, Peoria and Gilbert master-planned communities,” Field says about his market. “Snowbirds and retirees love them. With a Flock reader, you will have 24/7 security for the buyer who leaves for four months in each summer season.”
But Field says he's noticed privacy-conscious and younger buyers often have a very different reaction. “Once they see [the camera] mounted on the median pole, they begin asking a lot of questions,” he says. “Who owns the footage? How long does it stay on the storage of HOA? Does a rogue HOA president track when my contractor comes and goes or when my teenager returns from the school?”
Field says he has seen buyers remove certain subdivisions from their shortlist because they didn't want their license plates being captured as they entered and exited the community.
For buyers concerned about surveillance, Alexei Morgado, a Florida real estate pro and founder of the real estate education company Lexawise, says those considering a community with Flock Safety cameras could ask whether the HOA has enabled Flock’s Safe List. The feature allows residents to register their vehicles and opt out of having footage of those vehicles retained in the community’s system. Flock notes, however, that opting out in one community does not prevent the vehicle from being detected by other Flock cameras elsewhere.
AI Could Take HOA Surveillance Further
The surveillance technology being used by HOAs is starting to move beyond cameras that simply capture vehicles entering and leaving a community. AI-powered systems can monitor properties, identify potential covenant violations and even automate enforcement.
Schwab says some HOAs are beginning to pair surveillance cameras with AI to flag issues such as overgrown grass, trash cans left out past a designated time or other potential violations. Violation notices can be generated automatically as soon as they’re detected.
The appeal for HOAs is obvious: They no longer have to rely on residents or property managers to spot violations. Automated systems can flag potential problems for review.
But Schwab says the growing use of these technologies reinforces the need for HOAs to establish clear policies, including rules surrounding what information is collected, how long it’s retained and who has access to it. Rather than adding surveillance systems without clear guidelines—which Schwab says is increasingly happening—the HOA should put policies before its residents for a vote, he says.
As this technology evolves, home buyers likely will have even more questions, he says. “This is information we hope to bring more forward in a real estate transaction,” he adds, so that prospective buyers can make the best decision about whether that’s the neighborhood for them.
