Question

Question for those that have vacation homes that occasionally rent them out. What do you use for surveillance cameras? We need something we can have “on” when not there, but also be able to disconnect when a renter comes. Wanted to stick with Ring wired cams since the alarm system is Ring. Any tips would be appreciated.  

Answer 1

Question. Are cameras like that legal in rental homes? If I was your renter, how can I be guaranteed the cameras are off?  

Comments

@alexandro that’s why I would like to have the option to disconnect and remove. But I don’t want battery powered either, if I can help it.  

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@alexandro cameras are legal as long as they are mentioned in the listing.  

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Check out reolink, they are pretty good, c1 is ptz if you need to adjust the view remotely. And easy to remove when needed.  

Answer 2

Wyze at my AirBnB. Can’t beat the value for dollar.  

Answer 3

I should add, we will occasionally rent it. Not all the time. So cameras will be up for when we aren’t down there.  

Answer 4

We have 2 STRs and have been renting for about 7 years. We use Ring at both and at home. We just disclose in house rules and in our contract that they are motion activated and state where the cameras are located- all of which are outside. If you have indoor cameras it’s will be a problem even if they’re off, as sites like Airbnb do not allow any cameras on or off in private areas. Not to mention it just weirds people out. This makes the setup very similar to hotels who tend to have cameras pointed outside and in the halls but not in the rooms themselves. There is a way to snooze the cameras once they checkin, but it would be done manually. I don’t bother, because they are disclosed and, frankly, if something goes sideways with a res I would like as much recorded as possible. Good luck!  

Comments

@soggy33830 I forgot to mention, cameras will only be outside at entry doors and pool area.  

Answer 5

What are renter's feelings about cameras in the common areas and outside (no bed/bath rooms, not even facing them)? I have Ethernet run so I can install them but they are purely for security when there is no one there or in the event there is an issue. With 24/7 recording, you'd have no time to look through it all even if you wanted to so unless a renter had a specific request or was claiming something that could be dis/proved by going back to specific time stamps, I'd never look at the footage.  

Comments

@hartzel I forgot to mention, cameras will only be outside at entry doors and pool area.  

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@tungus I don’t think anyone can argue on entry points unless they are trying to have 10 families in an apt for 4 or are stealing your TV - pool area is one you could have do that they can unplug but I would want the cameras to face out at gates & entry points.  

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@fritillary pool area is mostly for when we are not there and making sure renters in surrounding homes that do not have pools deciding they want to go for a dip lol

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@tungus I guessed, but you can have the cameras angles away from the pool so that you can only see anyone trying to enter the area, not anyone using it?  

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@fritillary unsure as the house is still being built. But that’s something i can check on.  

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@tungus Your pool legally will have to be gated? With a pool cage? If so then you can have cameras set up that cover all the exits & entrances. am not sure it would even be smart / legal for you to have a recording device facing a pool. Images of other people’s kids half dressed saved to your hard drive may be questionable?  

Answer 6

I would use ring cameras outside, that monitor all doors & windows anything inside is going to get you some sort of legal threat. I would not stay in a house with indoor cameras. I have a device that checks for hidden cameras so even if they were turned off they would still be connected to the internet & set off the device. The only other thing is that you could have very visible cameras and ask renters to unplug when they arrive and plug back in when they leave.