Hi
We are going away and using a sitter for the first time. We have a security camera back and front of the house. Thus protecting both entries. Can these still be left on? Its part of our house insurance.
Obviously we will tell the sitter but turn off indoor camera.
Is this okay?
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Yes, it’s perfectly fine to have security cameras facing the outside of your property.
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Outdoor cameras are allowed by THS rules. Just make sure you have them mentioned in your listing and for any people not comfortable with them, they will know not to apply. I know some people don’t like them but personally, I don’t care if you have outdoor cameras.
Dan
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I’m both a sitter and a home owner and I have Blink cameras at three points on the outside of my house and I never turn them off. I also own an indoor camera, but it is put away in a bedroom with a closed door that is normally locked. I love the outdoor cameras to know when packages are delivered and who came by, to check on the weather, etc, and was just recommending them to someone this morning whose dog I am watching now (not THS). What I actually don’t like as a sitter is when someone doesn’t disclose, either on their profile, or when you meet them, that they have cameras. Then you wonder what else they didn’t tell you. I was at one sit (not THS) where the home owner had more than six exterior cameras, two of which pointed to their own outdoor hottub (which I was invited to use any time… 
). The cameras were never mentioned at any point in the lead-up to the sit.
As others have said outside cameras are allowed but should be disclosed in your listing.
I have to say, as a sitter, my heart sinks when I see them. We were once leaving a sit when we were startled by a voice coming from the camera saying goodbye and thanking us for everything. Very kind, but it made us really uneasy to think that every time we had left or arrived the owners had been watching us.
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I would also either turn off the interior camera in the presence of your sitter (if you get to meet them in person), or (better) dismantle it and put it away before they arrive.
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I totally get that. I will ask what sitter prefers to do.
I havent put them on my profile but will ask sitter if she wants the outer ones turned off. We have them at the back as our home is exposed. The front is really deliveries.
Thanks for the reply
I have a ring camera out front and a smart keylock for our front door - we don’t like carrying a bunch of keys when we go for walks/runs. We have a portable ring inside that is always off, even when we’re here, that we put away in a drawer when we have sitters.
I live in Chicago - though I live in a reasonably safe neighborhood, weird things still happen occasionally, and we’ve had packages stolen (even with the ring camera!), so it’s there mainly for safety.
However, we always let the sitters know during our meet & greet video call. Most of the sitters we talk to don’t mind and appreciate the disclosure.
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Welcome @Clare1
Absolutely! More and more homes have ring cameras. I’ve done a number of sits recently with ring cameras and one with cctv cameras at the rear.
What you can’t have is cameras inside your property that are switched on while a sitter is present.
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I usually think HO’s have better things to do (on holiday) than be too bothered by my comings and goings.
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One early morning after a storm, I opened the front door of the house we were sitting to let the dog out to the garden. I noticed that a small tree in a large pot had blown off the decking. It was still raining, the dog was barking like mad and running around in circles as it did every time the front door was opened. Still in my PJs I threw on a raincoat and raised up the tree in the pot and stepped back onto the decking .
The decking was wet and so I slipped backwards and whilst trying to save the pot from smashing - I landed flat on my behind with the pot and tree landing on top of me and the dog barking even more madly and running around in circles .
It was at this point, flat on my back ,covered in shrubbery …that I remembered that the house had a ring doorbell and I was right in front of it !! 
I wondered if the hosts were watching the whole scene.
( If they were , they never mentioned it )
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On several sits including our last one the PP was kind enough to provide us with Ring guest access. (outdoor facing cameras) That builds trusts and we didn’t feel like we are being monitored. We were also able to talk to anybody who came to door either for package delivery or try to sell something.
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They are allowed but MUST be disclosed in listing. Some people are not going to like the idea of being monitored (even if you assure them you are not they will still feel like they might be). But others won’t mind.
I came here to ask about this and find someone’s already asked! This is great. I forgot to disclose them on the listing, but the sitter saw them when she got there (I was still home, running late) and i walked her through everything. She didn’t mention the 2 outdoor cameras being an issue. (doorbell and gate).
I was camping and had no wifi or cell, so i wasn’t watching or checking, but I did check after I got home–not to check on HER, but to see if anything out of the ordinary had happened, possibly while she was at work. I discovered that she had covered them up. THAT i did not appreciate. Also, they are there for her (and MY) security. Any thoughts here?
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@emilygcohen I can understand from your POV, but I also understand hers.
She could have asked you about it, but also, you could have told her before you left or included that in your welcome guide (I always do both!)
Edit- I would apologize for not telling her and then ask her about it (in a non-accusatory manner). Keep in mind, that you went to check, without telling her, she will think you’re spying on her. Idk, just trying to give you some perspective.
Edit again- looks like maybe I missed when you said you checked after getting home. Sounds like miscommunication to me. She probably didn’t appreciate you not telling her so if there were no major issues when you arrived home, I would probably just let it go.
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I might also have done that.
You say that you were camping in the wilderness and could not be reached.
This is the THS policy on external cameras
“We do allow devices fitted to the exterior of the property or doorbell that monitor the security of the outside areas such as the porch, driveway and garden.
However, all devices must be disclosed to a sitter before a sit starts, and a pet parent must display this information on their listing as well as their Welcome Guide. “
You didn’t follow the code of conduct by not disclosing the information about having external cameras prior to the sit . You say she saw them on arrival - but did you actually discuss the ring doorbell with her and whether you would be recording - or offer her guest access for her security ?
There is a lot to take in at handover and by leaving it for her to discover on arrival, the sitter would have been within their rights to refuse to continue with the sit . However it’s a bit late for her to say actually I’m not comfortable about those cameras so I am not going ahead with the sit . You say that you were uncontactable during the time that you were away so the sitter could not contact you to discuss the unexpected cameras - so they covered them .
I understand that you may have forgotten to mention them in your listing and Welcome Guide but as a consequence the sitter (who evidently was not comfortable about cameras ) was not given the choice of cancelling the sit so therefore made the best of the situation by honouring the sit agreement and covering the cameras .
It might be an idea to update your Listing and Welcome Guide now to include this information so that you don’t forget for the next sitter.
.
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But your cameras were recording. And you watched recordings. Now that’s an invasion of privacy!
I would hate being recorded, even when coming back from a dog walk. The other day he had been a naughty boy and I was expressing displeasure with his eating a pizza slice that he had found on the street and would not drop.
I don’t want that on Youtube! There was nothing wrong, but still!
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She and I have already discussed it and I have zero issues – and neither does she. I spaced on putting the Ring info on the listing and will update it now. Also, in addition to unplugging my Furbo (which I always do), I will put it away in a closet.
I wasn’t planning to accuse her of anything! The sit went great and the kiddos are happy. That’s the main thing!
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