In, the beginning of the 90’s, I also lived in Suffolk county. Once I tried to get from Montauk Highway to the beach by crossing an empty lot. And immediately I was told that I was trespassing.
This in a country where trespassers can get shot on the spot (like the Japanese highschool exchange kid on Halloween). Not the country where I wanted to live.
@anon22438636 something else to be aware of as a fellow sitter is that some external CCTV cameras record the footage which is stored digitally indefinitely or for a specific length of time . This means that even if homeowner isn’t watching a live feed or getting live notifications during the sit they be able to watch back everything after the sit ( if they choose to do so ) . We have had two sits where homeowners informed us that their external cameras did this and that it was necessary for their home insurance. We appreciated this being disclosed prior to the sit and had no issues with this and went ahead with the sit . I don’t think they have reviewed the footage subsequently but if they did they would see nothing negative about us . Just reaffirm that we took the dogs for walks regularly etc .
Also with video doorbells ( “Ring” and similar ) they can be set up to notify the owner instantly on their phone . In addition owners can opt to pay a subscription to have the video footage stored for up to 180 days - so this footage (including sound) can be accessed after the sit has finished .
https://ring.com/gb/en/support/articles/1nce1/Understanding-and-Adjusting-Your-Video-Storage-Time
We have had 5 sits in U.K. that had “Ring” external video door bells . This was disclosed before the sit . We have had one with “ring”cameras used inside the home that we were told would be disabled during the sit ( but on the last day we found another camera still plugged in )
The main problem that we experienced when there is a Ring doorbell is that the bell “rings” on the owners phone and not actually any sound made in the house so we had no indication when someone was at the door .
@pietkuip the south shore of Long Island isn’t Texas.
Hello, We have had some members flag this discussion as going off-topic. Out of respect for the OP just a quick reminder to keep the thread on the topic of ‘How often do you check outdoor security cameras while away?’ @Silversitters Thank you for getting it back on track! 
We have two, a doorbell cam and one that looks into the backyard.
The doorbell cam I check alerts on - we get alot of misdeliveries and I usually ask someone to re-deliver it to the correct house on our street.
The backyard cam I never check when traveling. Really not sure why we have it LOL. We are gearing up for our first Sitter next week and I think I’ll turn it off to allow them to enjoy the backyard fire pit in peace without feeling like they are being watched.
@Catin88 You state that you’ve noted in your listing that you use a camera to monitor Sitters/Guests:
I have a front door camera for my luxury apt. I get alerts to my phone when it records motion whenever someone goes past my front door. I have noted the camera in my profile. I don’t have any cameras inside my place.
However, I read your listing. Where do you disclose that you have a camera monitoring the Sitter/Guest and that you are alerted on your smartphone? You actually do not specify anything about the camera except to list it under amenities. In an apartment building, this would more likely be interpreted as a camera for the front entrance for the building, not your personal front door. For a Sitter/Guest, a camera monitoring them, not the building, is absolutely not an amenity but a violation of privacy.
I happened to catch a commercial for ring cameras last week. I’d never seen one before but I saw it when I was on a sit and even though I was watching “my” streaming, I think the ads were local. I was a little taken aback because the selling point wasn’t security. The selling point was the idea of “don’t miss a moment.” It was deer in the backyard, or surprise visitors leaving you a pie, that kind of thing. And yes it was pets! So I think people checking the cameras may be a habit like checking for phone messages or your email. Maybe it’s a post-pandemic things, so many of us got so used to being at home, that we can’t bear to be completely away from home?
@lou28 Hello, so I’m not sure where there is a disconnect, but in my profile, I absolutely selected there is an outdoor camera.
In my video chat with prospective sitters, I let them know I have an outdoor camera. I placed in my Welcome Guide that I have an outdoor camera. I have stated this repeatedly in this thread, so I’m not sure where you got lost. I know that some may not like this but again this is free choice. I feel that’ll some are reactionary instead of truly trying to comprehend.
There’s no bait and switch on my part. I’m completely transparent with my sitters BEFORE. They know what is happening and still confirm. And honestly that all that matters. Everyone needs to choose what they are comfortable with.
That’s the bottom line.
@Catin88 Having an external camera as part of a home security system is not the same as using that camera to monitor a sitter/guest. This is supposed to be an equal and trusting relationship of two people who are helping each other out. As a sitter I expect to be treated with trust and respect. If I see an external camera listed, I expect that means the camera is for security purposes. I do not expect that a HO will be actively using it as surveillance to monitor my movements since they have invited me to be a guest in their home. Just selecting external camera as an ‘amenity’ does not mean the sitter is agreeing to a HO using it as surveillance. When people say they are planning to check the camera footage daily (or more frequently) specifically to monitor the sitter, that tells me that we are not a good match in terms of how we view/use this platform and they should find another sitter.
Does THS require the HO’s to disclose cameras? I think it’s illegal to film people without their consent. I put a black plastic bag over an obvious home camera.
Yes @TidyCat internal cameras or recording / monitoring devices are not permitted to be enabled on THS sits under any circumstances and external cameras must be disclosed in the listing ( so before a sitter applies for the sit )
Here is a link to the policy https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4419467716241-Camera-Recording-Devices-Policy
Thanks so much! I looked up silver sitters btw. I look forward to finding out more about it.
I think your sense of this may be based on overly broad generalization and some things that are more true in some regions than others.
I live in NYC and like people in apartment complexes throughout the world, there are some rules that aren’t mine, but are communnal. Always explained to sitters.
I sit as well. Some of those sits were apartments where depending on the type of building, I might have been on camera in the lobby but not by the doors with something the owner gets reports on. I’ve sat in homes in semi-rural or small town settings. Sometimes there were ring cameras and I might get a notice to check the porch for a package that arrived. Sometimes the front door that had the camera for security, wasn’t the main door I was using. But a few houses barely had locks, let alone cameras. It’s a mixed bag.
I’m on a U.S. sit now and not only are there no cameras at the house, they leave their garage door open all day, even though there’s stuff of value in there. And they keep their front door propped open during the day. (We overlapped by a day.)
While walking the dog, I’ve noticed that a number of folks in the neighborhood have similar practices.
When I returned from dropping off my hosts at the nearby airport shuttle stop, I realized that they’d never even bothered closing the front door. It had been wide open the whole time I’d been gone. They seem to think their neighborhood is perfectly safe.
@Maggie8K I’ve done some sits in the US too that never lock their door, not even at night or when they are not home. They said I was welcome to lock it, but they never bother.
I didn’t know that the bell doesn’t ring in the house. So, how do you know if someone’s there if your phones dead? So pointless!
You have to buy instal and connect an internal “ chime kit” or link it to your Alexa for a Ring door bell it to be heard inside . I guess lots of owners don’t bother with that and just have it notify their phone . That’s been the case for the 5 sits we’ve done that had Ring bells .
https://ring.com/gb/en/support/articles/s5ifo/Understanding-Why-You-Cant-Hear-an-Internal-Chime
Thanks for that, this means that if you’ve not got an Alexa or the like, it’s worthless……interesting. We don’t have a smart speaker or a camera doorbell which, after reading your answer, I’m glad I don’t. I’d be wondering why my doorbell doesn’t work! 
Yes, there are folks like that.
Sitting with THS, I’ve had U.S. hosts who told me to leave their back door ajar for the dogs to go in and out, either when I went out or during daylight hours.
The tightest security I’ve encountered among THS sits was actually in the U.K., because that household had been burglarized previously.
By contrast in the U.S., a couple of sets of hosts actually told me that they were lax with using their alarm system, which presumably came installed when they bought the place from previous owners.
You wouldn’t be wondering, because when you follow instructions for installing such cameras, they tell you that you have the option to use your phone and/or install a doorbell kit. And depending on the brand and model, you can add users, so their cell phone pings when the doorbell is rung. I’m guessing that many hosts don’t bother, because they don’t expect their sitters to be receiving visitors or such.
Even with a doorbell (Ring or otherwise), often people just knock. Like even when we get deliveries at home, often the drivers don’t bother with the doorbell. Maybe because they make so many deliveries that they find that quicker than finding the doorbell at each home and it might not work anyway.
I’ve done sits where the doorbell had been broken for a long time and the host hadn’t repaired it.