Camera in Airbnb

Camera in a self-contained holiday let = not OK.

Camera in a kitchen in someone’s own family home, that you just happen to have access to and is not your private space = perfectly fine. It’s really no different from having a camera in a hotel or hostel corridor.

If you don’t want to be seen in pyjamas, get dressed before you go into communal spaces.

I think that if total privacy is important to you on holiday, don’t rent a room in a stranger’s house. Either stay in a hotel or rent a self-contained room with its own private facilities.

We have Airbnbs (but not ones we live in) and cameras are obviously a big no-no. Given it’s a shared home I think it’s a bit different but I agree she should have mentioned it.

I think it’s wild you stayed in someone’s house with their random adult children and your kids without your own cooking facilities. The camera wouldn’t bother me at all - it’s a public space for both families and it’s protecting you both. I wouldn’t want to be filmed in my bedroom or bathroom, but most hotels film in all public spaces - hallways and lifts and restaurants - so I guess I’d think of it like that.

I also wouldn’t be wandering around someone else’s house with strangers in any clothes that aren’t suitable.

It felt a little awkward everytime we used the kitchen as we had to knock on the kitchen door to use it. I felt like a burden.

So you knew the set up before booking was that it would be a shared kitchen? I would say don't book an AirBnB that doesn't have a private kitchen again if it bothers you.

As for the camera, I can see why someone might want a camera in a shared area of the house for when they're not home. If AirBnB hosts aren't allowed to record guests within the home, then it may have just been there to provide the appearance of an extra measure of security, but not actually recording.

I had to get rid of the camera in the end because the cat thought it was a cat toy and kept attacking it every time it swivelled and made a noise...

If the kitchen wasn't part of the contract and they were just offering it as extra, I would be irritated but it was perhaps an oversight on their part. I have a camera for my dog and it was a day or so after installing it that I realised my poor dog walker must hear it swivelling around and thought to warn her it was there! It was live action only and didnt record anything. She was totally fine about it but then she's just in and out and fully dressed. I offer her full access to my home to make a cup of tea or snacks or use the bathroom and we ended up chatting over it one day when I logged on and started talking to my dog, and she came out of the bathroom hearing my voice! She thought it was funny, because I was saying "you're such a good girl! Yes you are! Are you going to sleep good girl?" I was more embarrassed than she was!

The kitchen isn’t part of the airbnb, thats part of the private home, in OPs case cameras were not allowed in the bedroom or bathroom that she rented.

It also takes a certain kind of person who thinks its appropriate to walk around in someones home before having a shower and getting dressed.

I wouldn’t like being filmed or want to be filmed but the camera was in the kitchen which was part own home, it wasn’t in the air b&b area.

It sounds like you asked how you are meant to cook food and she let you use the kitchen in her HOME. Not part of the listing, that’s how it reads as you have been very evasive about this part.
Anyone reading the review will think what kitchen? The host did you a kindness if this is the case.

The host will just edit their listing to explain what occurred.

Now you intend to leave a shitty review- CF! 😆

Well seeing that the OP hasn’t came back and hasn’t said that it was included I’m going to assume that it wasn’t and OP should be on the entitled people thread 😂

She probably thought she was being nice even though it wasn’t included

no good deed goes unpunished

Not one thing OP has said makes me think it was included.

And when asked directly, OP has not answered.

But we don't know that use of the kitchen wasnt included

But the op went into the host private part of the house
if the host want to sit there snorting coke while playing cards she can - because it’s her own private part of the house

the op ( as far as I can tell ) rented a room - not a room with kitchen facilites

We’ve got various cameras around our house inside and out. Most are live view only rather than recording.

They’re not hidden, but equally I don’t point them out to every visitor either. Neither do they have bright flashing neon signs pointing them out.

Absolutely no ok to have them inside spaces that you’re renting out to someone. But in your own space that you may choose to let guest use, fine. There’s no expectation of privacy at that point.

You are wrong. The host 'can not do what they like'. The OP is there under a commercial agreement. This view is exactly the issue with Airbnb. The OP was not a guest as in a friend invited into the house. If the kitchen was offered during the stay it becomes part of the agreement. If you were at a hotel and you asked to use an empty function room as a favour to do a zoom call and they said yes and you got electrocuted when plugging in your laptop do you think it makes a difference you only booked a room and you were using the function room as a favour. That's an extreme example but the fact is, if you offer additional facilities not in your original contract they have to come with the same safeguards as the original contract. In this case you can not have inside cameras, so all rooms offered at any time have to meet that safeguard.

The host let the OP use the kitchen, if use of the kitchen wasnt included then surely she wouldn't have done this?

Well no because cameras inside arent allowed under Airbnb rules

🤦‍♀️

It should be declared in the listing if there is a camera.

The entitlement is truly astonishing. The host does the Op a favour and her instinct is to complain. What was filmed that you’re embarrassed about Op? 🤣

I was in a hotel a few weeks ago
I rented the room it had a kettle and a fridge

did I complain that they didn’t allow me access to the kitchen so I could cook a fry up 😂😂😂

some people are really stupid

Book somewhere that has a kitchen!

Dont just book a family room with no facilities and assume they will let you use their family kitchen and then complain when they have a camera in it!

You should have booked your own place if you didn’t want to share the kitchen. She can do what she likes, it’s her house. YABVU

And if you did that to me and you has only rented a room without use of the kitchen
I would write you a really scathing review and you would be lucky if anyone rents to you again.

I would point out that i kindly offered you the use of my kitchen which was not included in my advert and that you had clearly not read the advert correctly and had only booked a room without access to my kitchen

if this is the case and you only rented a room.- try reading the advert properly before trying to ruin someone’s business