Just in case you missed it, Airbnb recently updated their security cameras policy. This policy will be effecting April 30th.
Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in listings globally as part of efforts to simplify our policy on security cameras and other devices and to continue to prioritize the privacy of our community.
Historically, Airbnb allowed the use of indoor security cameras in common areas of listings, such as hallways and living rooms, as long as they were disclosed on the listing page before booking, clearly visible and were not located in spaces like sleeping areas and bathrooms. The update to this policy simplifies our approach and makes clear that security cameras are not allowed inside listings, regardless of their location, purpose or prior disclosure. Hosts will be required to disclose the presence and general location of any outdoor cameras before guests book. These cameras will also be prohibited from monitoring indoor spaces of a listing and are not allowed in certain outdoor areas where there’s a greater expectation of privacy, like an enclosed outdoor shower or sauna. Hosts are also required to disclose the presence of noise decibel monitors, which assess decibel level only and do not record or transmit sounds or conversations and are only allowed in common spaces of listings.
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I would feel insulted by that! Either you trust a sitter to look after your animals and your home - or you don’t. And if you don’t, don’t get a sitter. Your precious trustworthy guardian-angel neighbors can look after everything instead.
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The latest for me : the HO had an airtag on the only set of house keys. What do you do? They knew when we entered and left the house and everywhere we went. I didn’t care but my partner was miffed
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Take off the keys you use and leave the tag with the rest
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Cameras, airtags … and now also smart locks.
New smart locks that lock and unlock doors using smartphones are no doubt very convenient for both hosts and pet sitters, eliminating the need for key exchanges during handovers. However, they also register every single time someone locks or unlocks the doors, providing hosts with information about when sitters enter and exit the house. Rather disturbing.
@anon47943759
I didn’t even know Smart Locks existed. So you couldn’t simply walk the dogs round a local field for 15 minutes for example without having to take your phone, thats crazy!
Nope, for some reason links are not permitted so google “gluehome” for more info @Hallt64
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Remove it.
Optional - Mail it across the country to a friend and have them mail it back to you. Bonus points if you can get it to someone who is flying overseas.
Put it back on the keys when you leave.
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@Jupiterwoman Absolutely remove it!
Then tell the HOs that you did so and that such surveillance and invasions of privacy are against THS policies.
Arrived at a sit and there is a ring camera inside. I believe it might be linked to the alarm system. It’s in an open stairwell facing the front door, but it definitely takes in the stairs and upper and lower landing areas. There are also what appear to be motion sensors in most rooms of the house. Do motion sensors have cameras?
It may be helpful for you to go to the Ring website. It will show you the products they offer and you can match them to what you are seeing.
I own a property in another country that is under construction. I have Ring cameras there to monitor in our absence as no one lives there. My Ring interior camera does not link to my security because I have a different security system, but it may be possible to do so. My Ring interior camera does record video and sound, and I am able talk to someone using it and my phone app. I don’t know how the Ring motion sensors function, but you can find those on their website and read what they do. I do have different security system with motion detectors which sends me an alert whenever someone enters the room they are in, but the brand I am using (not Ring) does not record video.
Hi @systaran the THS policy is clear
“What we don’t allow
Any active devices monitoring the interior of a property during a sit.”
So even a system without cameras that monitors the inside of the property (such as the one @anon10466095 has described with motion sensors that notify the owners when someone enters a room ) would have to be disabled during a THS sit.
“ https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/pages/camera-recording-device-policy/”
Ask the HOs to disable the internal ring device or to tell you how to disable it .
The motion sensors - is there an alarm that you have to set when you leave the property ? The motion sensors maybe linked to that and only active when the alarm is set . Ask the owners about when they are active.
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The motion sensors are not Ring, just the camera, but are definitely active. A red light flashes when I walk into a room or hallway. They look older, so I don’t think they have cameras, but they should not be active.
These sound like normal PIR sensors for an alarm system. They’re possibly wired in especially if the alarm is the old kind with a control panel and a keypad to arm/disarm. They are alway ‘active’ in the sense that they will pick up movement and the light will go red on the sensor. There is no “turning them off” only arming or disarming the alarm when you leave or enter the house.
Yup, sounds like an old-school motion detecting system. If so, it’s “dumb.” Like a pet or even say a balloon floating around could get it going.
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@cawosey Interesting. The alarm isn’t on, the HOs only turn it on when they leave the house, so when I leave I would set it. However, the motion sensors are active, so they must be a separate system from the alarm.
With some old systems, the motion detection is always on, whether or not the alarm system is activated. Like I owned homes in the past where the motion detection light (and sometimes a beep) would go on every time you walked past the sensor. And our alarm was never on while we were in the house.
In some homes, because of hardwiring, some OLD systems still exist. You can see them when house hunting, for instance. The hardware is so old it looks like it came from the Radio Shack electronics chain and is all yellowed. In some cases, you can’t ever turn off the motion detection — you’d have to rip out the hardwiring and/or hardware. It wasn’t made to turn off.
@systaran can you contact the home host and ask for clarification? And make sure that inside cameras are off and not recording?
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We’ve had a similar situation where we didnt notice 4 cameras until the home owner had left, they were definitely viewing through them as we saw them moving, we turned them all off. Since then we have a look around when we arrive, once I asked the HO if a camera was active and asked her to turn it off which they did and then again on another sit we noticed a camera after the HO had left which we turned off. Its against THS rules so no issue with turning them off. Its just creepy and shows a total lack of trust.
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