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Original poster

Would a Ring doorbell put you off a holiday let?

191 replies

LookWhosInsideAgain · 22/06/2023 23:09

I became an accidental landlord a couple of years ago and rent out the house on Air BnB and a couple of other sites. The house is 6 bedroom and was originally two flats so I often get bookings from two family groups wanting to holiday together which is obviously great. Unfortunately a few weeks ago a booking that claimed to be a family group, and arrived as what seemed like a fairly normally family group, had actually decided to rent it for the weekend for a party. Luckily I live next door and soon realised as the day wore on that there were around 30 people in the house which I’m neither insured for and not what the group had agreed to.

I asked them to leave and after a bit of rudeness and a bit of help from my neighbours they did but they caused over £2k worth of damage and I had to cancel the following booking too as they’d smashed the oven. I know this is always a hazard with a holiday let but I’d hoped the fact that I make it very clear that I live next door would dissuade this kind of behaviour somewhat.

Anyway, I thought of maybe getting a Ring doorbell or similar, just so I can see who is actually going into the house. I don’t know if this would be something that would put people off though. It would only be pointed at the door itself and the driveway so they’d be no filming when guests are in the garden or house. I’m still not sure whether it seems a bit controlling though. Any thoughts?

OP posts:

Tilllly · 22/06/2023 23:11

Do it

I'd be more than happy to go to a property with a ring doorbell

You would only be put off if you're up to no good

Snowtrails · 22/06/2023 23:13

Yes I would be. I would be wondering if there were surveillance cameras anywhere else.

Sarahtm35 · 22/06/2023 23:13

The last Airbnb we stayed in had a camera on the veranda and to be honest it did feel a little intrusive and we opted not to use the veranda which was a shame as the weather was lovely. It also made me paranoid that there were hidden cameras in the property.
However if it’s just on the front door it might feel a bit less intrusive.

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Holidays

AddictedToPaintTesters · 22/06/2023 23:31

It's very intrusive. I wouldn't be happy with it.

cherryassam · 22/06/2023 23:32

I wouldn’t mind. I have stayed at a couple with Ring doorbells.

mrssilky · 22/06/2023 23:34

yes I would mind because.......American horror stories 'Aura' 😱😂

olympicsrock · 22/06/2023 23:34

Absolutely do it. Decent people have nothing to fear. Many people have them so I don’t think it shouts surveillance .

Wishitsnows · 22/06/2023 23:34

Yes

Shoemadlady · 22/06/2023 23:35

Not sure how I feel about this. There has to be an element of trust and at what point would yo-yo pull the plug? For example......if your home only slept 6, but then the guests had grandparents and another family over for a birthday cake that weren't staying but sitting in the garden and were totally respectful of your home let, would you Chuck them out as they exceed the 6?

fireflyloo · 22/06/2023 23:44

I wouldn't stay somewhere knowingly with a ring door bell.

GodspeedJune · 22/06/2023 23:47

I’d find that really intrusive and wouldn’t knowingly book anywhere that has one.

Im99912 · 22/06/2023 23:47

I’m pretty sure You have to declare all cctv on air b & b In the listing
if that’s the case you can list it and those that don’t want to stay won’t
i would make it clear everywhere that the landlord lives next door

Original poster

LookWhosInsideAgain · 22/06/2023 23:53

I would declare it on the listing and it would be pretty obvious in its placement too. I would obviously never put cctv in any of the indoor areas but interesting to see that people do seem to link the two. Any other suggestions on how to ensure that people don’t exceed the guest limit?

OP posts:

Original poster

LookWhosInsideAgain · 22/06/2023 23:57

Shoemadlady · 22/06/2023 23:35

No, not at all. For example, at Christmas two families were staying at the house and they had family locally. They said they were planning on doing a Boxing Day buffet and there’d be around 20 family members attending. I said that would be fine and it was. It was more the deliberate lies with the last group, they didn’t me to any kind of celebration, bought loads of guests round, many of whom hung around on the drive annoying the neighbours and caused damage that was my entire profit margin for the year so far ☹️

OP posts:

saraclara · 23/06/2023 00:23

A ring doorbell would absolutely put me off.
When I book a self catering property i expect a basic level of privacy. And the owner being able to watch my comings and goings would really annoy me.

I don't understand posters who say that the only people who would mind are those who have something to hide.
I'm pretty much the perfect holiday tenant. I'm quiet, treat everything with respect, and often leave places cleaner than I found them. I've had glowing reviews from every single airbnb owner I've rented from.

But no, my privacy is important to me and I don't like feeling as though I'm being watched, when I'm paying a lot of money to relax.

(Also, like others, I tend to think that if the owner is a fan of cameras, there might be others in the property)

HundredMilesAnHour · 23/06/2023 00:37

I wouldn't want to stay somewhere with a Ring doorbell. It feels like an invasion of privacy and that I'm being checked up on / watched.

Can you not just ask your neighbours to call you if there are any issues? Maybe bung them some money for agreeing to keep you informed.

Somanycats · 23/06/2023 00:50

Seriously? No of course it wouldn't put me off! I think people who don't like ring doorbells or similar, are fighting a losing battle tbh. It's like saying you only want to pay in cash. Its entirety up to you, but is really going to limit your options, leaving you with fewer and fewer places each year as more and more people adopt.

starfishmummy · 23/06/2023 00:56

saraclara · 23/06/2023 00:23

A ring doorbell would absolutely put me off.
When I book a self catering property i expect a basic level of privacy. And the owner being able to watch my comings and goings would really annoy me.

But no, my privacy is important to me and I don't like feeling as though I'm being watched, when I'm paying a lot of money to relax.

(Also, like others, I tend to think that if the owner is a fan of cameras, there might be others in the property)

I can understand that. We stayed in one place where the owner lived next door and she was very "in our faces" every time we set foot outside. So a ring doorbell would definitely put me off.

Showerroomlove · 23/06/2023 01:36

I’m not sure that it would make any difference to me.

As an aside, I do wonder how the people who say they wouldn’t like it would feel about cctv in a hotel. Is it the fact that it’s recording people coming and going, ringing the doorbell, and what they are saying? Would CCTV on the property not be an acceptable option for you Op?

EnthENd · 23/06/2023 01:43

Nothing accidental about it. I prefer the term "opportunistic landlord".

But I wouldn't care about a video doorbell unless you were obviously abusing it. They're common enough that they don't feel like "proper" CCTV. But if you start commenting on innocuous things, or really anything you've seen that didn't warrant immediately evicting the renters, then that crosses the line into being creepy AF.

Also if the property has the kind of front garden people would want to use, you might want to think twice.

Just make sure you set it up so your phone doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night when someone pushes the button.

thespy · 23/06/2023 01:46

It wouldn't put me off, no. I know I'm not going to do anything wrong and therefore so what if the owner sees me entering the property? We are all on cctv walking around in the street all the time. You can't tell if someone has put hidden cameras inside a property by the doorbell.

Remaker · 23/06/2023 01:51

Wouldn’t bother me. Just be upfront about it and you can also state it’s the only camera at the property.

I’d prefer a camera to a nosy owner leaning over the fence checking up on me (not saying you would do this OP).

SirenSays · 23/06/2023 02:13

An outdoor security camera wouldn't bother me as much as one that picks up sound

Jemandthehologramsunite · 23/06/2023 02:54

I initially thought I wouldn't care, but actually it is quite intrusive. If I rented a place with this, I would expect everything else to be impeccable. High standards go both way, otherwise I'd assume it was creepy

WandaWonder · 23/06/2023 03:36

For security fine but you want to spy on people, sure guests may not realise thr different but if something happens and you confront them will the reviews reflect that?

I do not assume one camera means the place is wired like a CIA safe house though

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