Your Airbnb rental is your home away from home while traveling, and as such you expect comfort and privacy. But many of us don’t realize that hosts have installed cameras on their property to keep tabs on their guests. This is not necessarily for nefarious purposes and not because they’re voyeurs, but because they’re trying to protect their valuable property from renters who may be less than responsible and respectful.
If your hosts are watching you, they can also communicate their displeasure to you. Once you realize this, you may be creeped out thinking that Big Brother is looking over your shoulder. Some renters are venting on social media about hosts telling them to get out of the pool at a certain hour or harassing them for accidentally blocking cameras with beach equipment on their family vacation. On Facebook, one user wrote: “I don’t have anything to hide, but feel very uncomfortable knowing that every conversation could be listened to.”
Hosts, for their part, sometimes empathize. But many others defend the practice as necessary to stop their houses from getting trashed by drunken revelers, or simply to run their rentals from afar.
Airbnb’s official policy allows cameras that are “clearly disclosed” and “don’t infringe on another person’s privacy.” There are specific bans on cameras in private spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms. Three hosts who spoke to Insider said they include the use of cameras in their listing descriptions.
Airbnb host Jen Kelman says she draws the line of privacy between the front and the back yards. She needs the cameras in the front to know when to give entry to contractors who help with general upkeep, and make sure guests have left. But the backyard, with a fire pit and deck chairs, is unnecessary, she said.
For Alabama host Lisa Lewis, having a camera is a must for renting her two-bedroom in Foley, Alabama. Not having one would be a dealbreaker, she said.
Lewis’ rental primarily attracts youth baseball, softball, and soccer teams traveling to nearby Foley Sports Complex. She uses the camera to make sure guests aren’t unaccompanied minors and that they aren’t hosting large get-togethers, which she believes leads to more incidents of broken furniture or other damage.
Lewis says she also uses the camera to charge $100 for guests who attempt to check-in early or check-out late, without first informing her.
Arizona host Zach Narus justifies the cameras by saying that they provide “peace of mind” for his guests, as well as for himself. We have to wonder if the guests who are aware that they’re being watched by the hosts during their stay consider it peace of mind. But Narus also reluctantly admits that in the end, cameras simply “keep people honest.” Disclosing the use of cameras, Narus says, discourages bookings that are looking to throw a party.
That may be true, but on the other hand, what does the presence of cameras do for a romantic getaway? Make sure to whisper those sweet nothings into your honey’s ear.
