Photographing work inside someone's home is a privilege, not a by-product of the job. The routine that respects that is simple: ask before you shoot, record the answer, keep anything that identifies the household out of frame, and take photos down when asked. This guide walks through each step, explains the public guidance behind it, and covers the awkward cases technicians actually meet.
It is written by a marketing service, not a law firm. It summarises public guidance from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada; it is not legal advice. For your specific obligations, talk to a privacy lawyer in your province.
The short version of the law
Canada's federal privacy law for businesses, PIPEDA, applies to personal information collected, used or disclosed in commercial activity. The Privacy Commissioner's summary explains that it applies in most provinces and territories, and that BC, Alberta and Quebec have their own substantially similar laws for activity within their borders.
A job photo can contain personal information in obvious ways (a face) and less obvious ones (a house number, a name on a parcel, a child's drawing with a name on it, a reflection in a mirror, a GPS tag in the file). Marketing use of photos taken inside a home is beyond what most people expect when they book a furnace replacement. That points toward asking explicitly.
What meaningful consent looks like on a doorstep
The Commissioner's meaningful consent guidelines are written for all kinds of businesses, but several principles map neatly onto a technician at the door.
| Principle in the guidelines | What it means for job photos |
|---|---|
| Put key information up front: what, why, who, risks | Say you would like photos, for your website and Google page, of equipment only |
| Offer a clear yes-or-no choice | Make "no" easy and free of any pressure or discount |
| Make it timely and understandable | Ask before the camera comes out, in plain words |
| Express consent where use goes beyond expectations | A clear, recorded yes for marketing use |
| Allow withdrawal | A way to have photos taken down later |
| Children under 13: parent or guardian | Never photograph children; ask adults only |
| Be able to show it works | Record the answer in the job notes |
Wording that works
Keep the question short, specific and honest. Here are templates your technicians can adapt; replace the bracketed parts with your own details.
"Before I start: [Company name] sometimes shares photos of finished equipment on our website and Google page. I'd only photograph the equipment, nothing showing you, your address or your things. Would that be okay?"
"No problem at all if you'd rather not. I'll just take a couple of internal photos for the warranty file, which stay in our system."
For the second line, check your own policy and your lawyer's view on internal records before using it.
Recording the answer
Add a required field to the work order or job notes: Photo consent: yes / no / not asked, with the date and technician. If your software cannot add a field, use a fixed phrase at the top of the job notes so the office can search for it. The record is what lets you publish confidently six months later.
Keeping the household out of frame
Consent covers the photo; good framing makes sure the photo reveals as little as possible. Train technicians to scan the frame for these before pressing the button:
- People: homeowners, children, visitors, anyone in a mirror or glass door
- Address clues: house numbers, street signs, mailboxes, distinctive views from a window
- Names: mail, parcels, prescription bottles, school notices, calendars, framed photos
- Screens: phones, TVs, thermostats or panels that display a name or network
- Security: alarm panels, safes, key boxes, camera placements
- Vehicles: licence plates in a garage or driveway
- Belongings: anything a homeowner might reasonably feel is private, such as laundry, medical equipment, religious items or a child's room
The tight frame from our shot list guide solves most of these. If a frame cannot be cleaned, skip it.
Metadata
Phone photos can carry the exact GPS location they were taken. Turn off location tagging in the camera, or make sure your upload process strips it. Check one published photo with a free metadata viewer to confirm.
The awkward cases
Real jobs throw up situations no script covers neatly. Here is how we suggest handling the common ones.
- The homeowner says yes, but their partner is uneasy. Treat it as a no. A photo that causes friction in a household is not worth publishing.
- The homeowner wants to be in the photo. Great, but record that specifically, and confirm before publishing that they are happy with the final image and caption.
- Multi-unit buildings. Hallway and mechanical-room shots can show other residents' doors or storage. Ask the property manager too, and keep frames tight.
- Commercial sites. Ask the site contact, and check whether the client has its own photo policy. Some clients forbid photos entirely.
- Customer posts first. If a homeowner shares your work on social media and tags you, that is their choice; resharing it still deserves a quick message asking if it is fine.
- A technician shares jobs on a personal account. Set a clear rule: company photos go to company channels, with the same consent rules.
Removing photos on request
People change their minds, and they should be able to. Name one person responsible for removal requests. When a request comes in:
- Find every use by job number: website, Google profile, social posts, quote templates.
- Remove them, and replace a gallery page if needed.
- Note the removal in the job record, and update consent to "no".
- Confirm back to the customer that it is done.
Asking for photos or reviews afterwards by text or email
Some companies follow up a job by text or email asking for a review or a photo of the finished space. Those messages may be commercial electronic messages under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, which the CRTC's guidance explains: they generally need consent, identification of the sender, and a working unsubscribe option. Read the guidance or ask a lawyer before building an automated follow-up.
Putting it into practice
A workable consent routine needs one sentence at the door, one field in the job notes, one do-not-shoot list and one person handling removals. Our consent and privacy workflow builds those for your tools and crews, and the job-site photo system makes them part of every job. Call, text or email if you would like us to review the photos you already have online.
Frequently asked questions
Is a photo of a furnace personal information?
On its own, a tightly framed photo of equipment usually identifies nobody. It becomes personal once it shows a face, a house number, a name on mail or anything else that points to the household. That is why the frame matters as much as the permission.
Can we put photo permission in our service agreement?
You can mention it there, but don't rely on fine print alone. A clear spoken or written question at the time of the job, with the answer recorded, is far closer to what the Privacy Commissioner describes as meaningful consent.
What about tenants and landlords?
The person who lives in the space is the one whose privacy is affected, even if the landlord ordered the work. Ask the occupant, and if the landlord is your customer, make sure they are comfortable too.
Do these rules change in Quebec?
Quebec has its own private-sector privacy law, as do BC and Alberta. The practical routine in this guide is a sound starting point everywhere, but a lawyer in your province should confirm your exact obligations. In Quebec, offer the consent question in French.