You should report them. If you’re not going to sit for them again and your reviews are all down then it’s simply the truth. It also helps your future sitters
I wrote a review of them - future sitters can read about the living room camera there.
So far I have completed 37 sits with THS and they are the only ones who did not write a review of me. I don’t know why, maybe because I had turned off the camera for 24hrs? I do not intend to sit for them again.
Understood. Totally your call @cat.tails
Cat.tail’s it’s up to you whether you report it or not . Admin won’t do anything you would need to report it as a sitter as it’s clearly against the code of conduct :
“In our Terms and Conditions, our Camera & Recording Devices Policy states that during a sit no internal recording or monitoring devices can be enabled.”
I have forwarded the link to the two hosts so that they are aware of it for future sits.
I wanted to include how I’ve started handling this issue of cameras and recording devices with HO’s, both because it’s been beneficial for me to advocate for myself and because it’s made my sits noticeable more comfortable. Because I’m in the medical world and I work from home, recording devices are problematic (almost all of them record audio now) because of HIPPA issues, which is not to lessen the degree of violation I feel personally, just to say it’s taken it to the next level of concern. I tend to sit in cities and I understand that safety and also petty crime is a current issue for people, so the Ring cameras on doorbells make complete sense to me (though i’m still not a fan). I think the reasons why some HO’s choose to have camera’s, despite the TH policy (which HO’s don’t even know about because it’s not prominently featured or taken seriously) ranges from forgetfulness to a misguided sense of entitlement. But whatever the reason, I now ask about cameras in the interview. Towards the end of the interview, after we’ve established a good rapport. I’ve found this to be the only way to handle the situation effectively. It can feel a bit uncomfortable first, but I don’t want to sit for someone who doesn’t trust me or value the principles of trust, or a collection of great reviews. Asking this question has not gotten in the way of getting sits, especially when I explain that this has been a problem for me in the past, which is why I need to address it before I commit. In fact, some HO’s seem shocked by this. That keeps my faith in the spirit of the whole exchange while letting me more fully relax on that couch Maybe it will happen that I lose a sit because of this too, but it feels better for me when I’m able to choose sits based on shared values and sometimes straightforward questions can help facilitate that decision.
We were also ‘watched,’ on a door bell camera, to the extent that the home owner knew what time we arrived, and that there was no activity from us on a certain day, and complained that we got back to her house too late on one occasion. Needless to say, we cut the sit very short. My husband was aware of the door bell camera after being shown around the house, but we did not think for one minute, that it was going to be used against us. According to the THS rules, the camera should have been included in their introduction and in the welcome guide, but it was not in either of them.
It’s disgusting behaviour from any HO to monitor the sitters. If they don’t trust us, then don’t be part of THS, and don’t have sitters!
So I was surprised to see this in a listing that appeared today
In the Responsibilities section:
Pet Camera
This will be on just so I can check in once in a while, it only captures the living room and kitchen. Bathroom and bedroom are obviously out of view. If you have any concerns over this, I’m flexible and willing to chat. Hasn’t been an issue with past sitters.
@cat.tails Wow, right there for everyone to see! That is transparent!
My hunch is that THS will not do anything about this. It is really up to the Sitters to ask all the right questions and advocate for yourselves.
This is not permitted and should be reported as THS should advise the Owner to remove this.
@cat.tails This is a Great spot! Internal cameras definitely should not be switched on during the sit.
If you send me the link I can pass this one on or as @Keldin mentioned you can send it to Membership Services at support@trustedhousesitters.com
Thank you
I can appreciate ring cameras for general security if you live in a city or busy urban area… but rigging a home with surveillance equipment and not completely removing it for sitters privacy is a huge red flag, and quite frankly weird.
@Carla good evening to you.
Having read the comments, and with more and more home devices being monitored remotely, would it be possible for THS send an email to homeowners/combined members reminding them that internal cameras are not permitted and the relevant T&C quoted? Even if it’s part of the email sent prior to a sit commencing. It’s a gross invasion of privacy. I appreciate you can’t guarantee it will make owners switch off devices, but a reminder won’t do any harm
I found a number of the posts quite disturbing and made me feel uncomfortable, which is nothing compared to those that have been spied upon.
(Apologies if it is included in the pre-sit email, I am a sitter)
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Hello @Daisy999 Good evening to you too
What a great idea, reminders are always a good thing and everyone feeling safe and comfortable is an even better thing! I will check if it is currently in any communications outside the T&Cs and definitely pass that idea back on to the relevant teams. Thank you.
Well, don’t be too dismissive with ring cameras being there for the sheer reason/purpose of monitoring the outside area, because at a recent sit, the camera was also used to monitor our every move-when we arrived at the house, when we left it, how long we were away from the house, it was such an invasion of our privacy, that we had no other option but to leave the house, after just four days into a three week sit, due to our privacy being compromised. I’m even surprised that the HO even had anyone in her house whilst she was away, considering she clearly did not trust us, and to think that she is a members of a house sitting site that has ‘trust,’ in its’ title, is just a joke.
I’m interested @popeye did the HO raise all your movements with you during the sit? I, too, am on a three week sit with a ring camera on the door. I knew about it and it hasn’t been an issue. HO, if monitoring it, will know I’ve spent much of the time at the house because of the inclement weather but also understand I do go out as well. I was concerned as it’s the first one I have come across but all good on this particular occasion. It’s also a cat sit so HO is not monitoring dog walking outings which I would find a little uncomfortable. However, if HOs are so busy watching all movements, they can’t be enjoying their holiday very much!
@popeye what happened to the animals after you left? Did they find a replacement sitter?
That sounds awful, sorry you had that experience. I agree, I didn’t mean to sound dismissive - I would realise it means the HO has the possibility to monitor… but they’re also quite popular in particular areas so it wouldn’t immediately cause suspicion for me that I’d be under surveillance… Saying that I do prefer Sits which don’t have them, because I don’t like the idea of being watched.
If a HO did monitor my every move on it, I would probably see this as how you’ve put it - they’re not comfortable with someone being there and so probably shouldn’t be using the service if they’re going to spy on people.
How did you find out they were watching it so closely?
I have had a sit where after arriving it was revealed that there was an automatic treat dispenser that had a camera on it in the lounge. Fortunately it stopped connecting to the WiFi a day after the owner left and had to be reset when they got back.
Her friend, the same one that was in the house before we came home one day, took them to her house for the remainder of the three weeks.