First up, I realise outdoor cameras are common now days. We even have them at our house. And I realise they are within THS rules as long as they are disclosed.
We just finished a sit where cameras weren’t mentioned in the listing but were mentioned in the welcome guide we received after confirming and just before we travelled.
Early on during the sit (it was a long sit) we received several messages from the HO which were obviously prompted by what they were seeing on the cameras. One camera was facing the front gate and one focused on the patio area where we often spent time in the garden.
To say the least this creeped us out and really diminished our sense of privacy. In hindsight we should have talked with the HO and asked if we could unplug them but hey that’s hindsight.
What this experience has taught us is that we will no longer sit where cameras are installed. Will that reduce our sit opportunities? Yes but I’m guessing other sitters feel the same so it will reduce the pool of sitters as well.
So HOs please disclose your cameras in your listing!
Yup, totally agree! We have written on our profile that “we follow THS policies and expect owners to do the same. We don’t accept indoor & undisclosed cameras, requests to sit for third parties or non-vacant homes during our stay.” This shows HO’s that we are serious about policies and aren’t accepting any nonsense. We ask during a video call if they have any doorbell cameras, and will tell them that we’re fine with that as long as they are used for security purposes only and don’t invade our privacy. In the latest video call we had, the HO was super understanding and said no problem, we absolutely only use it for security and never check them unless there was some kind of security threat (I.e: Not our comings & goings). Communication is key
Yes I read a lot of denial here like “who would ruin their holiday checking cameras blah blah blah” but I think it’s human nature. Not everyone but quite a few and regardless it makes me uncomfortable.
Ugh. That is so awful. No one should feel like they are being watched like that. I would definitely feel the same about future sits if something like that happened. I’m sorry you had a host like that.
I’ve had a few sits with cameras. One luxury property had an extensive security system and cameras were part of it. The owners led a busy life, had multiple properties, and traveled to each one frequently. They never gave me any indication they were watching. If they were, they never said anything. But, I’m assuming if they had discovered a problem of any kind after having been away, they would review to find out what happened.
I had another sit where after receiving the welcome guide, discovered there was a camera facing the living room. This wasn’t a big apartment and I told the owner that I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing the sit any longer unless they were disconnected. She said she understood and agreed.
My husband and I were just talking about my sits and the sits we have done together. Some were incredible homes, some were basic apartments. Some had easy pets, some challenging. Some exceptionally clean, some total disasters. But, for me, my best sits have been the sits where the owners were kind and welcoming. Who appreciated me being there. Who were aligned with the mutual benefit to each other. Who trusted me. If any hosts made comments to me after reviewing their cameras, I would say something. I hope you were able to share your experience in the review, so the hosts get the message and future sitters are warned.
I have no reason to not believe them, and you can’t go into a pet-sit with the mindset of mistrust & not believing what people say. There was a clear, open & honest discussion about it. They came across as very down to earth people, with many 5 star reviews, we had a great call with very clear & direct communication, and we feel we are a good match. We are fine with doorbell cameras as long as an owner discloses & discusses it in a video call, and there is a clear understanding of its purpose and what we will & won’t accept
Look, if it was a first time HO who came across as quite anxious/unsure, plus they have a doorbell camera and don’t seem to know much about policy & camera use, that’s when it would be a nope from me.
Please include this in your review to warn future sitters and you may decide to deduct a star for accurate listing as THS state that external cameras must be disclosed in the listing and the welcome guide
We are on a sit where there are outdoor cameras - this was disclosed in the listing and the owner showed us the viewpoint that they see on their phone from all the cameras which are all pointing away from the property . On this sit the cameras aren’t continuously recording just when triggered ( the owner explained what triggers them so we would know when and what they would be able to see -) notifications that cameras have been triggered go immediately to their phone .
I have just finished a sit, where I was relatively certain there were active cameras, both inside and outside the house. I asked, of course, but the very nice HO was very vague in her answer, mentioning the Ring doorbell only. However, during the sit, I mentioned a workman’s unexpected visit to a friend in a video call, and around 30 minutes later the HO texted to apologise for that same visit. I do not believe it was a coincidence.
But, do you know what? I wasn’t really bothered. I was there alone so only talked to the dog and I reckoned the homeowners would be happy to hear that I was communicating with their pet. I also walked through the house naked a couple of times, enough to frighten the most dedicated of snoopers !!
Hey, Ozt, would you feel okay about exterior cameras that were disabled while you were there? I don’t have any, but I’d been considering getting a Ring before we started having these discussions.
The main reason I’d like to have a Ring is to be able to see who’s knocking before I decide to answer. But if even the presence of one would affect the quality of applicants for sits, I’ll just keep doing what I do now when I answer the door to someone who wants to sell me new gutters: I tell them I’m just the house sitter.
If you just want to avoid solicitations or such, you can get a sign that warns them off. They’re available for a few bucks on Amazon, for instance. I put them up at all my homes right after I move in and have had zero trouble with sales people or such.
There’s a Girl Scout app that I use to see where they’re selling near me, LOL. I started using it years ago, because I used to buy from coworkers’ kids, but then I switched to working remotely.
I had a disastrous sit earlier this year where the HO had two of their 3 cameras facing into the house but technically outside of the house. They were watching me go about my daily activities and sent me a message when something wasn’t done according to their welcome pack. Since I’d read the welcome pack multiple times prior to sit (online) I was very familiar with their expectations. When the concern was raised (no booties on dogs feet) I knew it was not ever mention at all in all my prior readings online. Upon opening the hard copy of HO guide, of which I hadn’t needed to refer to, a hand written amendment was found. This was a purposeful act of manipulation to find fault and have proof on camera, that I didn’t follow their rules. I assured the HO the dog was well cared for and was in no way harmed nor injured. The HO and husband we’re watching me in their home remotely. I faced the cameras away from myself and was asked to leave with an hours notice. The whole situation was bigger than Ben Hur - THS handled it reasonably well and the HO have been removed from the site. I will never again sit for people with cameras. EVER. Its called Trusted Housesitters, not spy on your Housesitters.
We have learned that when we see indoor cameras in the original listing, we will not apply…no matter how good a sit looks. If they have an Amazon tablet or home, that is fine, because they can be covered, unplugged, etc. We have had two bad experiences with indoor cameras. One was a long term sit that we would watch their home for 3 months at a time (spent a total of 14 months with them). On our last sit with them, we had to reset the router, we opened the cabinet (which faced the living room couch) and found an ACTIVE and ONLINE camera. We of course reached out to them right away and were told “oh, we never use that camera and didn’t even know it was there”. Yeah…right… long story short, we had to end that relationship. The second time, we arrived to a home that had a camera posted up high in the living room corner of the ceiling (which practically faced the kitchen, dining, living, bathroom hall and hall of bedroom - it was a small home). We immediately asked and were faced with "oh, we use it only when we AirBnb. We never look at it. Etc, etc). We asked if they could turn it off and were met with hesitancy and a few lies. About 30 minutes later, they finally said okay and they turned it off. They also had about 5 cameras outside that monitored every area of front and backyard. We were fine with this, but just had to be cognizant of what we wore when we took the dog out early in the morning.
After the sit we spoke with THS and were told that the interior camera was an absolute no-no and they were warned and reprimanded by THS.
Do NOT feel like you have to just go along with a sit because it has cameras. You have every right to cover, unplug or even leave the sit if they refuse to turn them off (with THS permission and enough time to find alternate care).
It is not worth the extra stress of being watched. Absolutely not okay and actually illegal in a lot of states in the US.
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