Have only dealt with cameras on sits twice before, both times they were disclosed and mostly outside. I didn’t think then to ask if they recorded sound, but reading the forums has made me realize it’s a crucial topic.
Recently completed a long, international sit. The tour of the house and handoff was done very quickly the morning they left. They told me the alarm system etc was all turned off.
On the second or third day I noticed security cameras in the corner ceiling of several main rooms. I don’t know why it took me that long to notice them, I mean I was slowly settling in and thought the first one I saw maybe was a doorbell or part of the entrance alarm. When I saw the same cameras on other floors of the house I started to realize it was a camera system. Of course, the HOs were now in another country and I was traveling internationally too…to rearrange my housing at that point for such a long chunk of time would have been difficult.
So I didn’t say anything. They never brought them up and eventually I sort of just ignored them, but one was in a hall between my bedroom and the bathroom, which was a bit weird as I always had to be completely dressed when walking between those two spaces. In a house completely by myself! (Sometimes I rebelled.) I sincerely hoped that since the alarm system was “off” that meant the cameras too?
Has anyone else encountered this ? Did you bring it up mid-sit?
I guess I should be very clear about the camera rules in my profile and initial chats? I don’t mind them outside or even over the front door but of course having them in the main living spaces is super unnerving…
I definitely would have sent a message during the Sit, “Uh, I noticed cameras all over the house. Are they on?”
That is super weird that the hosts did not mention the cameras and reassure you that they are NOT on.
Hopefully they were NOT on. Perhaps the hosts felt that they DID tell you when they said that the “security system” was off. But they should have been more clear specifically about the cameras.
Should report it to TH since it’s a violation of their rules. I hope you mentioned it in your review so others may be warned to ask about them.
… I’d’ve been inclined to find some towels or hats or something and cover them all.
The alarm monitoring is usually in corners of the ceiling. Even if the alarm is off a little light triggered by motion comes on as you walk by. I think that is what you may have had in the house. You often don’t notice it in the day because it’s only a small light that doesn’t show up.
Did you photograph them all and send it to THS so they can do something about it? This is unacceptable and I hope you warn future sitters in your review.
Google ‘room motion sensors’ to see if they look similar to help put your mind at ease, they are typically all black or white in colour to see if they are similar.
I once noticed a camera after a few weeks, in a corner of the living room. I tried to look for cables, I could not see if it was powered on. And I thought that if it picked up sound, that that would always be the tv
Anyway, I am pretty sure it did not record, because there was an issue after the sit where we don’t know what happened. Someone must have been in the home after I left and before the HO got home. But the HO never talked about surveillance. It remained a mystery.
Ok I searched and I think these could have been those, you’re right. They definitely had the black orb part that looks like a camera, but I found it very 50/50 since the HOs never mentioned them and they seemed very transparent and welcoming. Something just didn’t make sense there, I thought surely they weren’t cameras? But I also kept my robe on in that one hall just in case
They have they truthful and upfront, they wouldn’t have mentioned the sensors to you, because they are not cameras, sensors are nothing for you to worry or even think about at all. In the UK there are a lot of homes with them, some are even from old alarm systems from decades ago that have just not been removed, when the alarm is long gone.
We’ve had sensors in the majority of homes we do, and no homeowner has EVER mentioned them to us, and we’ve done 30+ sits now. Sometimes they flash a green or red light, but it doesn’t matter at all, it’s only when the alarm is triggered/activated when they come into play.
Rest assured, the home owners HAVE been totally transparent, they had no reason to mention them to you at all. When an alarm is activated, it simply helps the owners/police know where the intruder gained entry. That’s all.
Don’t worry about them, I know they are hard to ignore when they are in a lot of rooms, but try to switch off to them.
Yes that’s right the older ones are wired to the electricity and often the alarm has long gone but the sensor still works unless it’s disconnected by an electrician
Definitely a great idea to bring this question up during the pre-sit call. I never go ahead with any sit without having the right reassurance on this.
I’ve found that every HO I’ve spoken with grasps how intrusive and inappropriate indoor cameras are and have been able to reassure me about there being none indoors. We all need this for our peace of mind, don’t we.
I remember this time last year, I spotted what I thought was an indoor camera when I was ten days into this particular sit. It turned out to be just a fancy cat toy. My paranoia had completely taken over and got the better of me!
It was a big thanks to the contributors of this forum that helped me to see it for the innocent object it actually was.
I have and I’m afraid I didn’t say anything. It was one of my first sits and I didn’t know they were not allowed, I actually had had another sit where there was an active camera in the living room- kitchen area. I noticed it during handover and the owner said in a casual way: “yes, it’s on, it’s to check on the dog”. I was a bit uneasy but didn’t ask them to switch it off or offered to switch it on when I was out. In this case, I would act differently now.
In the other case, I found there were cameras in some corners of corridors and common areas only after the owners had left, maybe one or two days into the sit. They definitely were cameras and I suspect they were on but I don’t know. What I know is that, even with all my experience now, I would not dare mention it. I would not have done that sit now because of the total absence of WG or any kind of written information, I would have asked about cameras in the video chat and I would have checked on arrival but if I now somehow appeared in the middle of that sit (God forbid) and, being everything the same as it was, I would still not mention it because I had stopped mentioning anything at all. Communication with that lady was simply impossible.
There’s no need to mention it in the profile because inside cameras are not allowed but it essential to ask in the initial chat and check on arrival. I think many owners don’t know the rules or they may even forget.
In fact, there should be a reminder for owners, right before the sitting, about switching off internal cameras and showing where external ones are.
