We had security cameras fitted so that we could see what the weather was like and what state the garden was in if we were away for any length of time. We purposely did not have sound connected since it was not necessary. Our cameras are all outward facing and feature the car park area, the main garden and side entrance but only because that spectrum of view covers the entire inner wall area of our property.
Living in a rural village by the coast means there is very little crime and everyone in the village tends to know each other. I suppose the security cameras do provide that extra level of deterrent and security and especially peace of mind for any guests who will not be familiar with the area.
I guess my question is this. Do sitters generally feel uncomfortable about security cameras? Personally we neither have the time or inclination to watch or bother much with them but are they an issue for sitters generally? It wouldn’t take much to disable them or cover them up if sitters are present. Just wonder what everyone’s thoughts are on this?
There are some sitters who won’t mind and there are some sitters who do mind.. We have cameras outside of our home, backyard and front yard. We are in the US where seems like everyone has some type of camera. We DO NOT watch the cameras when we have a sitter watching our dog.
I agree with the feeling expressed by piekuip. I do not think I have been in a watched situation, but it is hard to tell, which is also creepy. Homeowners should be forthcoming about any cameras in place, and maybe TH should require full disclosure on this.
As a cat & dog pet sitter, I don’t have a problem with external cameras.
I do wonder though - if a HO turns off external & or internal cameras, might an insurance claim be effected if there is a burglary, or damage to property, & the insurance provider had been made aware of the cameras as part of the policy?
Does anyone know the answer?
Half of the sits we have accepted in U.K. have had some kind of external cameras - ( CCTV or Ring doorbells ) many as a requirement of the home owners house insurance provider.
We were aware of these from listing and with discussions with hosts before the sit was confirmed.
We have not experienced them being used to spy on us .
They do. Outside cameras are allowed but they have to be disclosed.
@AndyAysegul, you can list outside cameras and you can also say they can be disabled during the sit if sitters prefer it that way. This would give you the option to negotiate with prospective sitters.
I have done quite a few sits where they had cameras and it was no problem at all.
I LIKE having the exterior cameras. They document when I arrive/leave the sit, how often (and how long) I leave the pets, how much I play outdoors with the pets, how often I collect waste from the lawn, how I have cleaned and replaced the pets’ outdoor water, etc.
I don’t generally have problems with outdoor cameras. When it might be creepy: If the camera looks partly into the home or say onto a swimming pool or hot tub area. I don’t use those amenities, but people who do probably expect reasonable privacy.
I have a nest doorbell, camera, and a driveway camera. They would not be turned off. I don’t sit and monitor them, and I’m fully accepting that if someone’s not OK with that, that they would not be the right pet sitter at my home and would self select out.
If you reveal the existence of external cameras on your home’s profile, I don’t think you need worry about it. Sitters uncomfortable with external cameras will self-select out of a sit and clear the field for those who aren’t.
The rules are very clear. Indoor cameras are forbidden. If your cameras are indoor but actually on the window so there is nothing seen inside at all, I’d imagine they are not out of bounds in terms of the rules. But if they might “catch” a sitter in their underwear or a computer screen with confidential information, that’s a big problem.
Some sitters object to “ring cameras” or any outdoor camera becaue they feel homeowners are “spying” on them. These are however permitted but need to be disclosed. I sit part time mostly in US. I look for locations I want to travel to, and don’t care if there are outdoor cameras or not. We recently did a dogist in France where there were no cameras but the dog had a tracker so the homeowners still knew where we went and how far we took him. Cameras are ubiquitous in many places. However, if I felt like a homeowner was purposely keeping an eye on my comings and goings, I’d very uneasy about it. To date this has not happened, to my knowledge.
As is your prerogative. However our experience was that the HO made the same claim about not viewing the cameras as you, then proceeded to comment on our comings and goings which was, to say the least invasive. Unfortunately human nature “curiously “ comes into play. Edited. Added comma for clarity.
No, I didn’t at all comment on your comings and goings. I stated the policy and confirmed I have external cameras, would not turn them off. You are mistaken in your response perhaps?
Best wishes.
. We have cameras outside of our home, backyard and front yard. We are in the US where seems like everyone has some type of camera. We DO NOT watch the cameras when we have a sitter watching our dog.