what is the official THS policy on hosts disclosing they have outdoor cameras? (ring, etc). I believe this should be required to be disclosed, as sitters should be able to decide if they are ok with outdoor cameras or not.
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Officially they’re supposed to be disclosed, but some aren’t active, so there’s no reason to disclose anything then, as there’s nothing to disclose.
Outdoor ones don’t bother us personally.
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I always ask them. In the US outdoor cameras are common. Just ask because if they lie and tell you no and you discover one they can be kicked off.
I don’t think they do get kicked off. I’ve reported a sit with a disclosed INDOOR camera twice. Have been told by support that they’ve “reached out to the pet parents to let them know to update their listing with the relevant information” (which doesn’t seem to exactly address the situation).
The listing is still active and hasn’t been amended at all.
(Edited to remove screenshot of listing as per the posting guidelines)
As a HO I disclose all outdoor cameras & remove & disable any indoor cameras. I also give access to the sitter to my outdoor cameras because I do not have time to monitor them while I’m away, I set them on snooze while I’m away.
We ask if the HO has any cameras at the video chat stage and explain we have previously had issues with external cameras and make it clear we are not keen. Depending on their response we accept the sit or not. Regardless I believe all cameras should be disclosed and obviously indoor cameras should be disconnected and put away if possible.