A property management company with about 12 sites hired CWC Security to remove its Hikvision cameras and move every property onto one UniFi system for network, video, storage and door access. The project comes down to one question: when a claim lands on your desk, can you find the right video and prove you kept it?
Not for most private owners. Section 889 of the NDAA bars federal agencies and contractors from using Hikvision, and federal grant money cannot buy it. In 2026, the FCC tightened import and marketing limits for certain uses, while confirming that cameras already purchased can stay in use.
So replacing them is a risk decision. If any property touches a federal contract, grant or loan, ask your attorney. Security matters too: CISA lists a Hikvision flaw as actively exploited, and every camera has to be patched to close it.
New York courts can penalize an owner for losing video, even by accident. In a September 2026 case, a condo's stairway cameras kept three weeks of footage. After a fall, the only copy saved was a superintendent's 67-second phone recording, and it missed the fall. The court directed that the jury be told it may hold the missing video against the owner.
Cameras do not stop lawsuits. They help when the right footage is saved the right way:
Staff can search phrases like "pickup truck with plow" or "person carrying package." It finds people and vehicles. It does not reliably find ice or spills, so a person still reviews the full recording.
Video shows when snow crews, landscapers and trash haulers actually came, so you can compare visits against invoices. Vendors can get door or gate access limited to scheduled times. Keep written logs too, because video can show a crew on site without showing how much salt went down.
Microphones stay off because New York has strict eavesdropping laws. Cameras stay out of restrooms, locker rooms and apartments. Facial recognition stays off at residential properties.
General information as of November 2026, not legal advice. Ask your attorney and insurer to review any retention policy.
CWC Security can review your current cameras, retention settings and evidence process, site by site.
