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It is clinical science that obesity is a problem. Why do you not delete all the threads about people that smoke? Also, it was clear I was making a comical reference to a possible situation of having indoor cameras that clearly could exist.
Wow. @Brandt Fat shaming… That’s a new low for personal attacks. You should be ashamed of yourself.
The thing I like about this forum is how blunt yet actually supportive this group is. We’re from all over and lively in discourse and disagreements, but that’s out of line.
The one clear exception to the indoor cameras, to me, is in an Airbnb that is run like a hostel. They often have cameras in the kitchen area and that seems normal and okay and everyone is aware. The idea is that it keeps the kitchen clean and your food not eaten by others. There are often fines for not doing your dishes in these situations and it likely does help it work best as there can be 20+ different travelers using the kitchen.
I used to stay in hostels a lot before Airbnb was a thing (internationally of course but also extensively in the US). In the larger hostels with a big, shared kitchen, there would usually be a “monitor” that was there to keep everyone on track and honest. I think indoor cameras in this situation replaces that monitor - e.g. hostels have a long history of monitoring common areas and it is one way that makes it work for everyone involved.
I’m not a big fan of cameras in home situations, particularly if they are monitoring anything other than the front entrance. They take away the “home” feeling for me (though I totally understand why some hosts have them). I personally won’t rent a place that has cameras on the back porch/yard/patio/pool area as I feel those are invasive of basic relaxation and leave too much room for an unscrupulous host to get creepy. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay in a hostel-type listing that has indoor cameras on the common areas. In fact, it would give me more confidence that the hostel was being run well and taken care of.
I had thought of in addition to putting one out front putting one in back yard but I see your point if someone wants to go outside and drink their coffee in their jammies. We have a 6 ft tall privacy fence out back but it does not go across the back of the yard as that is made private by tall trees and shrubbery and only has a 4 foot chain link fence since our shed is back there behind the fence. We do however have a fire pit out back and wonder if we put one focusing on that area and maybe not the main patio area.
Just want to make it clear that you are only permitted to put cameras in shared areas of shared hosting. Never in whole house rentals except for outside.
Another host here in wooded N. GA area had a guest who didn’t extinguish the fire pit properly. It caught nearby trees on fire. Her outdoor camera alerted her and though she tried to alert the guest, the guest slept through it. The remote host had to call the fire department. A different host’s outdoor cameras caught another guest using a propane torch on a guest’s wooden deck. Outdoor cameras can find out it’s racoons making the mess in the yard, not guests. Guests peeing off the deck is an invasion of their privacy but I also want to know if that behavior is going on. So I’d have outdoor cameras and all the guests who object will have to choose another listing.
On my own listing the cameras are at the front of the porch. Once guests come onto the porch I can’t see them except by looking out the front window. And of course neighbors can see them. A little common sense and you can have security while your guest has some, but not complete, privacy.
This isn’t absolute. For example, If you have a camera pointed at a cabinet of fine first edition rare widgets and it is fully disclosed, this is permitted.
I have about 10 exterior cameras installed outside of the house. I use the Wyze cameras. I spent about $25 each. No need to spend anymore than necessary. I do turn off the audio recording to preserve the guests’ privacy and it doesn’t add anymore security. Some cameras are next to lounging areas and I’m sure guests may want their conversations private.