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I just had an interesting experience with my guests from Spain. First time Airbnb users. They were actually pretty nice, left the place spotless, put up with my clumsy Spanish and, for the most part, followed the House Rules. Only one rule was broken, in a semi minor way. One of the guests purposely blocked the camera on our Ring Video Doorbell when they were coming back into the house one evening. I didn’t notice this right away because I don’t check the camera every time I get a motion notification. I usually check all the footage once a day, generally in the evening, and I then delete most of it unless i feel I might need it for a possible future issue with the guest. So far I have only saved one small piece of footage and only for a week.
They gave me an excellent review when they left, but they did mention that they felt controlled by the camera. My suspicion is that they thought every time they heard that little soft click that the camera makes when it turns on after detecting motion, they thought I was watching them. I actually find it quite amusing because I just simply don’t have time. Generally speaking, the only time I am paying close attention to the motion alerts is when I’m expecting a guest arrive. I like to make sure that they have no problem getting in with our keypad. As we all know, those can be quite tricky to certain people and super simple to others. There have also been occasions, while checking footage, that I’ve noticed that a guest failed to lock the door when they left, so I check the following footage very carefully to make sure nobody came in after that and I send them a note reminding them that the door does not lock automatically when they shut it and they have to manually lock it. And yes, I had to do that with these particular guests. My husband is of the opinion that because they brought up the cameras and feeling like they were controlled, that they were a bit paranoid. I have no idea. Maybe it’s just a cultural thing? Has anybody else had a guest or guests complain about their exterior cameras?
I’ve had a Ring doorbell cam about 3 years and 24/7 recording 9 months. None of my guests has objected to my knowledge and none has marked me down on the review.
It’s disclosed as required by Airbnb and I have pictures of them in the listing. I understand that guests might not like it. If I had a host contacting me about things they saw on the cam I might be irritated. But as a host, too bad. If I discovered a guest had covered or tampered with me camera in any way before I reviewed them it would be a thumbs down and one star on rules as well as mentioned in the public review. Good luck finding places with no cameras.
Well yes, control over security, extra people etc. - it’s your property! The fact that they mention this shows a resentful and rebellious attitude.
Well yes but we mustn’t generalise. When I stayed in a Portuguese hotel the staffs eyes rolled every time Spanish guests came in. Just consistently apply your boundaries with all guests.
I considered marking them down on the house rules, but it was just the one occurrence and it was the sister of the booking guest. When I messaged the booking guest about it she apologized, and her explanation was weak, that her sister was not aware she was blocking the camera and she was holding the door because they were bringing a lot of packages in. Yeah, OK, whatever. They followed all of the other house rules to a T and seriously left this place cleaner than almost any other guest I’ve ever had. I looked at it as a teaching moment, they were first time Airbnb users. Since she mentioned it in the public review that they felt a little controlled by the cameras, my reply was that most AirBnB listings will have cameras but that shouldn’t make them feel like they are being watched all of the time. It is simply for security reasons and keep their listings from being abused. I know my answer isn’t really for the guest it’s for future guests. I was just wondering if this was a common problem or just one of those weird anomalies. She gave me five stars across-the-board on everything so I can’t really complain about that.
I have. One complained to me because he thought that the exterior camera from my garage pointed at the house could possibly see in the bathroom. It can catch shadows, but I can’t see anything.
Another guests left the windows open for about 15 minutes after they turned on the AC. I saw on the camera - gave them around 15 to 20 to retift and asked them to close the windows.
Both guests complained in private feedback to which I said ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, but the camera is disclosed in two places and in the rules to which you agreed.’
If your camera is properly disclosed and they covered it, I would intercede. If I got any pushback at all I would involve Airbnb and possibly have them moved to new accommodations. Every hotel has the same thing.
Seriously, how I ever hosting without my cameras - and I have three - is beyond me.
I have really mixed feelings about this. I suppose that if I hosted remotely I’d feel cameras to be essential (and I really admire remote hosts - I’m not brave enough). That’s when I’m thinking like a host.
If I put my guest hat on then I think I’d feel affronted that someone didn’t trust me to the extent of monitoring me. Although my logical side understand why, I’d still be just a little bit annoyed. Being originally from England, where CCTVs seem to have been everywhere for ever, cameras don’t bother me as such because I’m not up to anything, but I’d like to feel more relaxed when on a trip away.
Another thing I feel (and this could just be because I’m old) that too often we are dealing with people via non face-to-face means - surveillance via cameras, communication via text etc.
It is most definitely properly disclosed, in a few places. One of the first few House Rules is “Tampering with the Ring Video Camera is grounds for cancellation with no refund” which has now been amended to add “tampering with/covering”. Interestingly enough, it was actually verbally covered with these guests when I met them at Check In because I had used Google Translator to convert my Rules to Spanish and that rule apparently got really muddled. The son of the booking guest spoke okay English and was going over the rules with his mother and aunt. It wasn’t like they were unaware right from the beginning.
My goodness, the things you can find on Google. I’ve just seen a cat box (nearly $500) that has an app. Yes, you too can be at work miles away from home and know that your cat has just had a pee. This is getting silly…
I don’t host remotely but the space is separate from my unit. I personally use it to verify that the people arriving are who they say they are and that there are no extra guests or pets.
Mostly though I think it weeds out the bad actors from booking my place.
The camera is at the front door and out in the open. It’s disclosed 3 times in my listing.
I have the same problem every time. They agree to the house rules with cameras. I communicate before arrival and still they make it sound like Im a peeping tom and airbnb allows it. Very unfair and frustrating. Guests seem to get away with murder these days… Airbnb will not remove her review but it is what it is.
We also have exterior cameras that are clearly stated in our home listing. I have had some potential guests ask if they are for surveillance as they need privacy in the backyard! Not sure what that means, so I tell them that we have the capability to monitor 24/7…which we don’t, who has time for that?
I don’t feel it is a problem, but when I question the amount of guests, I sure get backlash that I am " watching them constantly "! I’ve even had it mentioned in some of my reviews!
I like the cameras so I can tell that pool and yard maintenance has been there as we are remote hosts.
And with the pool area, it is an insurance issue if anything tragic were to happen!
So, we feel it is necessary and outweighs the guests discomfort!
I don’t have or need cameras, but if I did, and guests questioned them, I’d just be totally straightforward.
"The cameras serve multiple purposes. I need to be able to check whether my pool and lawn maintenance people are there working when they are supposed to be. I think that if anyone were to break into the house, and guests’ belongings stolen, both my guests and the police would appreciate there being footage which hopefully captured an image of the perpetrator.
“And yes, I do need to make sure that guests aren’t throwing a wild party and trashing the place, or sneaking in more people than they booked for or that I am legally allowed to host. But I can assure you I have better things to do with my time than spy on guests going about their daily lives. That would be deadly boring- I’m really not into reality shows.”
I was hesitant to install cameras but decided on a Ring doorbell. I ended up installing the unit on the side of the house facing the driveway, basically using it as a stand alone camera. It’s less intrusive to guests than mounting it by the door. It works great, and is barely noticeable. Highly recommended.
My home came with an old burglar alarm system that had motion detectors in some rooms including one of my guest rooms that used to be an office. I decided to try taping over it rather than remove it to see if anyone complained before I bothered ripping it off the wall. No one has said a word in 9 years. I do not have an exterior camera, but I like the idea of having it in a less obvious area. Of course you would need to disclose that the door is monitored on the exterior but I don’t think that you have to say where the camera is. Some people are paranoid without any reason to be so.
