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Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

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Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#101

Post by billytetrud »

blankobj wrote: post #79
billytetrud wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your paranoia about what bad guests can do doesn't excuse the landlord in the article for being a petty douche. Bringing a friend over who has a pet is not a reasonable thing to prohibit, nor is complaining about his daughter coming "a night early". These are the behaviors of a creepy asshole, not a human being.

It's not paranoia. Illegal parties and large gatherings are a huge problem with Airbnb's. Keep in mind - this article is from the guest perspective, we don't have the hosts perspective. But we have an author who admits to being busted for breaking the rules? Personally, yes, I'd "let it slide" and would not have even broughht it up with the guest. I agree it sounds petty on the host if the author is factual. But my c…

> we have an author who admits to being busted for breaking the rules?

No. If you think the author "admitted" breaking the rules, then we don't agree on how to be a reasonable person while renting someone your property. I don't think anything was in "let it slide" territory. It was in "give benefit of the doubt" territory. It seems pretty clear to me that if what the article said is true, then the author did not in fact break any rules, as others have said to you.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#102

Post by mtw »

Cameras & surveillance are a necessity for vacation rentals. People complain about privacy but how would the property manager know that the garbage are placed properly for pickup? Many counties now have automated garbage trucks that won't pickup garbage if the angle or placement is not correct

Same for swimming pool or lawn maintenance. The person renting would be the first to demand a refund if the swimming pool has a strange color/odor or if the garbage is overflowing. The property manager can do a daily video check and ask for pool maintenance person to do a check if the water doesn't look good.

Finally, many vacation homes have their own dedicated water systems. Its perfectly possible that the water source can only cater to 6 adult, or that the septic system can dispose for only a max number of people. If the renter comes with a big group, then there will be no water, or the septic system will overflow and clog. Again, in those cases, the group renting will be the first to complain and ask for refunds. So it is important to check via a camera the number of guests coming and making sure it is below the max number of people that the property can accomodate.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#103

Post by EvanAnderson »

cubano wrote: post #100
EvanAnderson wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I become frustrated with people find or create "nuance" rather than when things just happen. There's a certain kind of person who seems to instinctively look for ways to edge just beyond breaking rules. It's usually for their convenience, and sometimes to get an unfair advantage. It's galling.

Sounds like your the type of person who most definitely shouldn't be renting any property to people. The simple fact is...when you start accepting money to allow others to use your stuff, things out of your control are going to happen. Of course, I'm not excusing these "certain type of people" you are discussing (I think most of us call those people "assholes"), but as they say...shit happens.

Yes. I've said as much in other comments.

I worked with the public in a variety of retail and volunteer capacities over the years. I watched my family's property get destroyed as part of our small business and just accepted it as a cost of doing business. Americans, at least, mostly treat their own property poorly and are really awful to others' property. They also, by and large, can't follow basic instructions or simple rules-- especially if the rules present an inconvenience to them.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#104

Post by mcphage »

mtw wrote: post #54
spamizbad wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having someone's dog be on a porch for a few hours really doesn't seem like much of a violation. Wild animals do the same all the time.

This is what the article author states. But how certain are you that the dog didn't actually poop on the property or entered indoors? The author stated before that there were no dogs on the property but was forced to admit that there was indeed a dog. It is therefore plausible he is also taking liberties at his other statements

> But how certain are you that the dog didn't actually poop on the property or entered indoors?

If the renter had video cameras in the house, and the only image he could find of the dog was sitting on the porch, it probably wasn't because the owner didn't bother looking.

> The author stated before that there were no dogs on the property but was forced to admit that there was indeed a dog.

The author didn't have a dog. Someone brought a dog, and they stayed on the porch. The owner believes they caught the renter in a gotcha, but they didn't.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#105

Post by EvanAnderson »

standardUser wrote: post #99
EvanAnderson wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I become frustrated with people find or create "nuance" rather than when things just happen. There's a certain kind of person who seems to instinctively look for ways to edge just beyond breaking rules. It's usually for their convenience, and sometimes to get an unfair advantage. It's galling.

I become frustrated with people who don't appreciate nuance and assume the worst in people who don't view the world exactly as they do.

Working with the American public for any length of time shows one their worst assumptions probably aren't bad enough.

Some countries have mandatory military service. I wish the United States had mandatory labor in a public-facing position-- retail, hospitality, etc. I think it would go a long way to making people feel less entitled to break rules or conjure nuance where very little exists.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#106

Post by mcphage »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #67
standardUser wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could state as much if it is a genuine safety concern. Or not risk renting their home to complete strangers.

They stated "no pets". That's pretty black and white. Why did they need to say "No, really, no pets!" I am utterly infuriated by the attitude that breaking rules is okay. It's all the more galling that our society rewards some rule breakers. When I'm feeling particularly petulant I can sort of understand how one would feel an attraction toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism. From a realpolitik perspective renti…

> They stated "no pets". That's pretty black and white. Why did they need to say "No, really, no pets!"

Because "No pets" means "do not bring a pet". If you want it to mean something else, you need to be more clear.

> When I'm feeling particularly petulant I can sort of understand how one would feel an attraction toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

Huh.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#107

Post by bradlys »

nradov wrote: post #78
blankobj wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a guest were to try this at my Airbnb, I have in my house rules that guests may not disable security devices and an onsite inspection will be performed if they do. And that's exactly the type of guest I would immediately terminate their stay.

This is exactly why Airbnb should be banned everywhere.

Do you think hotels don't have cameras? I'm confused.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#108

Post by bradlys »

CaptainZapp wrote: post #48
eplanit wrote: post #20

Do laws prevent 'regular' hotels from doing this?

Why would a hotel do that? Cameras in the lobby, the hallways and the elevators, sure. But in a hotel room? That's a great way to kill your business in no time.

But there were no mentions of cameras indoors. Instead they sounded like they were all outdoor cameras. I think that's fair game.

I think like a hotel - these cameras were at the lobby, the hallway, the elevators, and the outdoors. Nothing was viewing the personal space.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#109

Post by blankobj »

billytetrud wrote: post #101
blankobj wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not paranoia. Illegal parties and large gatherings are a huge problem with Airbnb's. Keep in mind - this article is from the guest perspective, we don't have the hosts perspective. But we have an author who admits to being busted for breaking the rules? Personally, yes, I'd "let it slide" and would not have even broughht it up with the guest. I agree it sounds petty on the host if the author is factual. But my c…

> we have an author who admits to being busted for breaking the rules? No. If you think the author "admitted" breaking the rules, then we don't agree on how to be a reasonable person while renting someone your property. I don't think anything was in "let it slide" territory. It was in "give benefit of the doubt" territory. It seems pretty clear to me that if what the article said is true, then the author did not in f…

I don't think that, the author states it. Their words - "busted". A reasonable person would not bring a dog to a property where it was already established that dogs are not welcome. What about "no pets" says you can bring a dog, but just for a small amount of time? It's a built-in rule to Airbnb - hosts choose between allowing pets or not. Guests are shown the rules before booking. A reasonable person would message the host first to ask for permission. I don't bring my dog over to a friends house without first asking for permission. You certainly can bring your dog, but you might not be welcome again.

Re: Our vacation rental had surveillance cameras. The landlord used them a lot

#110

Post by nradov »

bradlys wrote: post #107
nradov wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why Airbnb should be banned everywhere.

Do you think hotels don't have cameras? I'm confused.

Hidden surveillance cameras inside hotel rooms are exceedingly rare. There have been a few isolated incidents where perverted creepy employees installed hidden cameras in rooms but it's not legal or tolerated in the legitimate hotel industry.

There are certainly cameras in hotel public areas where no one has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

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