Still, to be clear - I did NOT at any time in any post, refer to @Oztravels ‘comings and goings.’
Thanks.
Just wanted to throw something else into the conversation: I’ve sat at some homes with ring cameras and/or backyard or porch cameras. I’ve also sat in homes in rural areas and small towns where we weren’t given keys becaue the door is never locked. I probably felt a little safer in the ring camera houses.
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We ask about the cameras and gauge the homeowners reaction. If they make it clear that they’re there for security of the property and they aren’t using them to spy or micromanage us then it’s fine. I wouldn’t expect them to be used to check up on us for any reason.
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As a repeat Turkish sitter of several years, we have never sat for a property with cameras here @AndyAysegul and that’s in probably 20 or so locations. It’s unlikely that sitters in Turkey will expect them so declare them, explain their use and then our suggestion would be, to offer to turn them off for the duration of the sit as you’ve said crime is low in your village so trust is everything. #camerachallenge
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Thanks @piekuip I would have thought that people on vacation would have better things to do but then I suppose if they are nervous for some reason the temptation would be there. Thanks for your input.
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Yes @avidtraveler. I suppose its very much a personal thing. I can understand a quick check maybe of a few seconds if they are taking a quick look at their home but do people actually spend time monitoring and watching?
We have all but forgotten our cameras but just actually having them means that we could use them if we wanted because they are linked to an app on our phones. As for just sitting there mindlessly watching and waiting to see peoples movements I can think of nothing more boring. I am pretty sure that 99% of home owners would only take a quick look to see their pet maybe and that their home is OK but of course if they are nervous or alarmed about something I suppose it could get a bit creepy and alarming for sitters.
On the one hand I could flippantly say that it would not bother me since cameras are everywhere these days but then from a sitter perspective they are within the confines of a private house so they do deserve and should get privacy. A difficult subject I think.
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I agree with you @Lisalu it is difficult to know unless they are moving cameras rather than fixed. I think the moving cameras would creep people out more even if they are innocently scanning. I think THS ask the HO’s to be forthcoming in the Welcome Guide I remember recently putting the details of our cameras in that. Perhaps it needs to go in the general description too.
I think I found the solution. Leave 3 thick black socks in a bag so that those who want to cover up the cameras can and those that want to leave them operating also have that option 
Our cameras are not really state of the art but I would imagine that there are systems where the home owner has a control panel in the house that can turn the cameras on and off at will. That would be the perfect solution of course. The sitter can turn them on and off when they want and still have peace of mind at night times knowing that they are working.
I personally find them creepy and intrusive.
That said, if HO’s are forthcoming about exactly where the external cameras are and what they monitor and give their assurance that they’re not being used to track, micromanage, etc. me I’m willing to sit with them . Obviously, the latter (assurance that they’re not monitoring me) requires trust and a good gut check on my part.
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If the insurance company has been told there are external cameras and something happened, I think any claim would be void if they were not on. A lot of people have alerts set up on the phone. If someone arrives at the house, they are not necessarily watching all the time but may look to see who is there. I did one sit where the owner was constantly monitoring, and I was asked back but I didn’t go, too uncomfortable and intrusive. I don’t mind the outside ones normally they make me feel safe
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Unfortunately, yes, there are some HOs that use cameras to monitor their sitters. I had one that would start talking to me through the front door camera when I went in or out. The first time I went out, I was locking the door and she asked if I needed any help. When I came back from the grocery store and was unlocking the door she asked if I found everything I needed at the store. The next day she texted me when the mailman came to let me know to bring the mail in (it’s not like she was expecting something important and wanted to know if it arrived, she wasn’t). I heard the mail be dropped off, but was in a work zoom meeting and didn’t feel it was urgent to stop a meeting and bring in some junk mail. Another day I had food delivered and later she texted me to ask if I enjoyed my dinner that was delivered. So, it was a generally creepy and annoying sit.
I had one sit with an indoor camera. I saw it when I arrived and decided to deal with it once I got unpacked and settled in. My daughter was with me on that sit and based on a couple texts from the HO, I know for a fact that she was using the camera to listen to our private conversations.
I think most HOs just have cameras for security and don’t bother with them when a sitter is there. However, there are some that do actively use them to monitor the sitter. So, based on my experiences, I’m a bit leery of sits with cameras because they have been used intrusively.
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@systaran I have to admit that I would be unsettled with a creepy talking door camera. That is definitely an invasion of privacy as are security cameras with sound. There is no real need for sound on a security camera I think although a door camera in an apartment might be a different matter since they are often used to let visitors in through the main door.
I can see from a sitters point of view how security cameras can make people nervous especially if there is abuse like this.
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That’s really weird and creepy. I wonder if she thought she was being nice and polite or she just wanted to let you know you were constantly watched. Regardless of her intentions, I think it was really intrusive.
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@whirld traveller I never thought about that aspect of it. In some ways I guess that they can also protect sitters if a rogue home owner accuses them of negligence or of damage to things outside the home. Having said that I doubt many home owners would troll through hours of security camera footage when they return unless of course there was a problem and then they might.
@RedLassie OMG I hope that you never find yourself in a sit with internal cameras. That is against the THS terms and conditions apart from possibly being illegal. I hope no one has ever experienced that level of intrusion on a sit.
@cuttlefish. Yes we do declare them and originally had them fitted so that we could observe the property, the garden and the weather while we were away before we were adopted by our cat. Crime is low in the village although the village itself, like many rural villages in Turkey, actually has street cameras that provide a record of comings and goings for security purposes.
You have been very lucky if you have been to Turkey on 20 sits and never experienced a security camera since many holiday lets and expat homes have cameras especially the larger ones with swimming pools. Much less so with apartments since they normally have strong metal entry doors and entrance security.
With the economy in Turkey suffering there has been a rise in thefts and camera sales and installations on properties and particularly homes and retail premises is at an all time high.
Turkey actually has some strict privacy rules regarding CCTV cameras but like anywhere they can be abused. I remember reading about an Airbnb where the owner was arrested for having hidden cameras spying on the guests. There is zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour over here.
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@Newpetlover, it was weird and creepy. I think she may have just thought she was being friendly. Fortunately, it was a short sit. I think it was just 4 days in between two longer sits. I was mostly working and didn’t even leave the house very much on that sit. If it was a longer sit I probably would have said something to establish some boundaries, but since it was short I didn’t bother. Other than that it was a really nice sit with 2 very sweet cats, but I wouldn’t go back.
I sit mostly in the UK, and have only come up against external cameras in a handful of sits. Recently, I sat in a home where no cameras were disclosed and after I arrived I noticed a whole set of them inside the house. The owner told me they were disabled but they made me feel very uncomfortable and - frankly - unsafe. I will no longer sit for anyone with cameras, and I know other sitters that have made the same decision.
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OMG I hope that you never find yourself in a sit with internal cameras.
Gunaydin.
Erm, I won’t. I said, I would have a problem with internal cameras, and I know they are against the THS rules.
Maybe your message was intended for someone else, not me?
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We haven’t “been” to Turkey @AndyAysegul, we live here! 
My husband is Turkish from Kars. Currently our sits with no cameras have been in Iznik, Kadikoy, Inçikoy, Çeşme, Kaş, Dalyan, Kalkan, Oludenız, Yeşilüzümlu, Köyceğiz and Ulus. A mix of town, Istanbul and rural village, plenty of big villas too. We wouldn’t take a sit with active cameras just like @Oztravels #allabouttrust
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@cuttlefish Apologies but I would not have automatically have known that you were living here in Turkey hence my very generic reply. We have never been to Kars and hope to get there one day. In fact we still have most of North Eastern part of Turkey still to explore. Yes it seems that most sitters do not like active cameras and I can understand it. I agree of course that it is all about trust.
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