When you stay in a hotel, do you think what may have happened in that bed the night before?
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Please see my post further up. I’m not explaining again.
Our society has decided that monitors are the way forward so much so when there is a serious crime police ask to see the cctv footage which may cover the scene of the crime.
In our properties environment barriers and gates would not work as the 8 apartments are mostly short term let’s wit( lots of people coming and going. We would have to employ security guards!
I can understand why people use security cameras. It can be a deterrent as well. If people know they are being watched they curb their criminal tendencies.
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@pietkuip Stop trying to defend please. You are comparing apples and oranges trying to play Devil’s Advocate. My home is not a hotel. The fact that you are trying to excuse someone breaking the rules… And trust, I’m not uptight.
I only ask of three things to people who stay at my home: No visitors, no smoking, and to respect my place. I’m not asking for much.
If someone wants to have visitors, when I clearly say otherwise in my profile, my listing isn’t a good fit for them. It’s as simple as that.
There are HOs that are ok with visitors. Those are the sits people need to apply to instead of being dishonest. We are all supposed to be respectful adults here. That’s the bottom line.
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You wanted just one of a couple. If I had a partner on my travels, that would be asking too much. I would have cancelled.
I’m a combined member and I live in a neighborhood where frankly, I am under constant surveilliance, but once sitters (or anyone) gets off the elevator on my floor there are no hallway cameras or door cameras!
When I sit I’m aware that homeowners have ring cameras and maybe backyard cameras, but I try not to think about this. I’ve yet to be called out by a homeowner with a: Where were you? You were late for lunch! I think if that did happen I’d be genuinely upset.
I understand that if you’ve got dogs especially, and if those dogs are dependent on sitters to go pee or will start barking like banshees if left alone too long, you will be tempted to check, but I don’t think you should share this with sitters. I think if you do check, keep it to yourself unless you see something big – like the sitter staying out all night, or consistently staying out too long, and then gently check in and mention the alerts that you realize you haven’t been getting, so you checked, and just want to know if anything is wrong.
Remember this is an exchange of equals not an employment situation.
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Sitter here. We are currently on a wonderful sit with a wonderful owner and lovely pets. The HO has external cameras which weren’t disclosed on the listing but was disclosed on the welcome guide (briefly) which we only saw once the sit was confirmed. There have been several interactions that show the HO is monitoring the camera feeds which has made us very uncomfortable. I don’t think the HO is being malicious but it has made us inclined to not accept sits with cameras in the future.
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Found a personal toy but you don’t say you saw anyone entering the property from the cam feed? With due respect 1+1 isn’t adding up to 2 in this instance.
@pietkuip To clarify, this person never advertised themselves as a couple. They had a solo profile. Their partner was never on the TH platform. They saw initially how I said no guests in my profile when they applied. That was no shock at all.
Before the sit was confirmed during our video chat, she asked if her girlfriend could visit my apt. I said “No, I’m not comfortable with that because I have a no guests/visitors policy”. They said they were fine with that and wanted to do the sit. I wasn’t twisting anyone’s arm. It would have been on to the next possible sitter if it didn’t work out.
It’s important to make sure that you have ALL the facts before creating scenarios or making assumptions. The bottom line is that the sitter broke my trust. Point blank period. I understand that you are a sitter and feel the need to possibly blindly defend - even when the sitter is in the wrong, but right is right, and wrong is wrong.
If the sitter felt it wasn’t happy with my policy, they should have never agreed to it instead of telling me that they were cool with my policies and then sneaking in their girlfriend. We aren’t 12 years old. We are supposed to all be responsible, respectful, mature, and trustworthy adults on this platform.
I’m sure if a HO pulled a bait and switch, you would be up in arms. I’ve seen more than a few of your posts over the years that lambasted dishonest & questionable HOs (Rightfully so)…
Respect, honor, and common decency is a 2-way street for all users of TH
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Are you still sitting in Turkey @Oztravels? (I think it was you guys) Only that we’ve yet to encounter any cameras at all over here on any sits? #begoodtoknow
I thought cameras were for security, not to monitor sitters.
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@Catin88 I agree with all the points you’ve made, but how do you know for sure there was a third party in your apartment? You say you wrote a 5* review for this sitter before your discovery of the $ex toy, so presumably you have made an assumption after the event?
Ultimately, were your home and pets well cared for? Maybe try to remain focussed on that, and be very explicit in your next listing and welcome guide, regarding no visitors.
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@Oztravels I installed my outdoor camera last month and the sit I’m talking about was a few months ago. What doesn’t add up?
With all due respect, if the camera wasn’t there, how could I have captured anyone unauthorized walking in? That’s the whole point of me having installed the outdoor camera now.
I do find it head scratching and humorous that others are having counter conspiracy theories about MY experience.
Please read through all of my posts in this thread. You will see why I said the girlfriend was in my apt…
I wrote a great review for her yes, despite there were little things like not being as self sufficient (I had multiple texts from her the first couple days regarding things that was already in the Welcome Guide and she left a few hours earlier than what we agreed on. I did mention that in my review, but didn’t deduct any stars.
Yes, my discovery was after I already wrote the review as I wrote the review the morning I came home.
Trust, I’m not stewing and still upset as this was a few months ago, but it did have me shaken at the time. I’ve already moved on. I renewed my membership last week and I’ve been using TH since 2018. I’m not going to let that experience sully all of the other great experiences that I had with sitters over the years. I have 4 different sitters staying at my place over the next 2 months. I’m just sharing my experience on why I have an outdoor camera.
Also @Happypets… My profile has no visitors/guests in all caps with asterisks around it not once, but twice in the intro. It’s the first thing applicants see. I also reiterate this in the video chat before I confirm. Then it’s there in the Welcome Guide lol. It doesn’t get more explicit and direct than that.
I’m from NYC. I believe in “Straight talk makes for straight understanding” lol. I’m very direct and upfront so there aren’t misunderstandings or miscommunication. I want to make sure sitters feel I’m a good fit for them and vice versa.
The fact remains that you can do all that and still have people that are dishonest. Yes, I believe it’s the exception not the rule. But my outdoor cam now brings me peace of mind that no unauthorized people are coming into my luxury apt. My apt building has security cameras all over anyway (Lobby, elevators, common areas, on the different floors). It’s just not easily accessible for tenants to get footage unless a crime has taken place.
Combined member.
Our listing states outdoor cameras.
It’s also in our welcome guide.
We have them mostly for capturing wildlife.
I explicitly discuss with thsitters that we have ourdoor cameras and that we will check them during odd hours, or an odd alert sequence, or snowing/snow blowing but other than that we won’t check them during their stay since we expect comings and goings and want to respect privacy.
I also candidly discuss sit parameters and let sitters know that I will be in touch if I have any concerns and they should feel free to do the same if they have any concerns.
I say quite candidly that neither one of us should find out about anything negative in a review but should be given the chance to try to correct something during a stay so that sitters, home hosts and pets can have a good experience because, well that is the point.
I also have family and friends who are on alert when we have sitters or when we go away, so if there are any problems they are all very comfortable coming over and handling something or addressing something with a sitter or taking over if the sitter has to leave/may be asked to leave.
All discussed very candidly in the initial video chat.
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Exterior cameras are always going to be a contentious issue.
I have actually done 2 housesits where thee have been cameras inside the property. The owners were very clear about why they were there. One was in a garage, where they also had a gym and another was in their living area directed towards where their pets slept and the front door. I personally did not have an issue with this, if somebody wants to waste their vacation watching me then that’s their bag 
I turned one camera around when I was using their gym then turned it back when I left, no biggie. The one in the living room, just meant it recorded me coming and going, which an external camera would do. Again no biggie, as I was mostly in their home and only left for a couple of hours a day. I did not feel any less trusted and they did not change my behaviour in any way, why would they I was not doing anything wrong.
We get recorded so much on a daily basis, I just don’t see it as a bit deal. I knowingly agreed to the sits, which if I felt uncomfortable I would not have done. And I appreciated the owners honesty about the cameras and the reasons they had them.
Many other sits have exterior cameras, which again I see no issue with, it’s usually about owners protecting their property. In one instance having an exterior camera proved helpful when I got locked out and they opened the door for me remotely following a power cut.
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I believe it makes a massive difference in this matter whether it’s about houses in the UK or the US. Therefore, I would probably not do a sit in the USA, simply because I tend to feel that they have a different relationship with their property and are more likely to cross personal boundaries. By that, I mean MY personal boundaries. So not meant to be offensive. If someone has no need in privacy, it’s okay for me. There are so many sit offers to choose from.
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@Maria_Mike
Please know not everyone in the US lives in fear and under the eye of Big Brother and ready to call the police if someone uses our trash cans. We are tech savvy in my home but don’t even have a doorbell or alarm system, let alone cameras. Oakland, CA
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The U.S. is vast and varied. I’d not make sweeping assumptions.
I’ve not had any camera privacy issues while doing U.S. sits. (So far have done 11 U.S. and 5 U.K.)
I did have a U.K. host who wanted to use an indoor camera in the living room, so they might watch their pet. They raised it during our video chat. I was fine with it.
As it turned out, though, their cat almost always chose to hang with me in the room that served as guest room and office. I spent most of my time in there, between telecommuting, relaxing and sleeping.
I did offer to show them their cat via my iPad, though, by streaming video. I had no problems with that.
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Twenty(ish) years ago, Ricky Lake and her show reigned in Europe, shaping the perception of Americans as uneducated and uncultured brutes, imprisoned in their own homes, especially the older ones, out of fear of being robbed or worse as soon as they leave.
At the same time, I found myself living in the Hamptons, one of the more influential areas in the US. And? The million-dollar, unoccupied and unsecured mansions were left unlocked. You could just walk right in. Ladies left their purses wide open in their convertibles, inviting you to take what you will. Cafés in Sag Harbor were full of intellectuals ready to engage in any polemic.
By no means is the world, especially today’s world, a paradise. Nonetheless, it is my belief that most of the “truths” we hear and learn are merely propaganda. The very same propaganda also plants in some people paranoiacal behavior.
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@Maggie8K @anon47943759 @Shella_in_the_Forum Thanks for your interesting replies and setting things into perspective. That’s what a forum is for and I appreciate it very much. 
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