Man livid to find 'creepy' hidden camera in Airbnb that doesn't break the rules
An Airbnb guest discovered a webcam hidden in the sofa of the flat he was staying in.
Ian Timbrell called the installation of the camera a "huge invasion of his privacy" after finding it tucked between two cushions in the flat where he had booked a room. The 41-year-old took to Twitter/X to question whether it was normal for a holiday let landlord to put in such a device.
“OK, normal or weird? My Airbnb has a webcam watching the whole living room. “Am I wrong to have unplugged it? Seems like a huge invasion of privacy to me!” Ian wrote.
According to a spokesperson for Airbnb, the presence of the device was listed in the ad for the Aberystwyth let, which cost £40 and was part of a larger home.
The holiday let company says that it enforces "strict policies governing the use of any kind of recording device in listings", with hosts required to disclose the presence of any monitoring device in public or common spaces in the listing description. Hosts who do not disclose information about the devices risk being kicked off Airbnb.
World’s most popular holiday homes include glass cube deep in a forest canyon
The Cardiff man posted a later video complaining that the property had been "infested with flies". He later posted a follow-up clip saying he had found somewhere else to stay last minute. “Finally, found a place with no hidden cameras and no flies! Time for a nice glass of wine and pretend that that creepy place, that was like the beginning of a horror film, never existed," Ian added, saying he would be staying in hotels in the future.
A spokesperson for Airbnb told the Mirror: “The presence and location of the device was disclosed in the listing description before booking, However we appreciate that our guest did not have a positive experience. While the guest did not contact us about this, we have proactively reached out to offer support and the host has fully refunded them. We enforce strict rules on recording devices and take action on rare issues brought to our attention.”
While you might assume that installing cameras in rented properties is against the law, this isn’t entirely true and booking websites make this clear in their policies. However, the law is nuanced and if you do want to rent a holiday stay then it’s important to know what flies and what doesn’t.
Firstly, if you find a camera recording you in a bedroom, shower room or toilet then you should absolutely report it to the police and the rental agency – such as Airbnb or booking.com. This breaks both law and policies. In the UK, "it is illegal to record anyone without their consent in places where there is an expectation of privacy."
However, it is legal for holiday home owners to install cameras and record you in common areas like living rooms, gardens and kitchens providing they follow certain procedures. According to gov.uk, you have to alert people to the use of CCTV or cameras on your property by informing neighbours and putting up notices – but this is if you are living in said home. This applies to things like ring doorbells and security cameras.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
