Post by High Priestess on Jan 6, 2019 14:36:08 GMT
When you have surveillance devices on your property, such as a Ring Doorbell so you can see who comes to the front door, or even just a set of security cameras meant to deter burglars, you need to make sure you follow Airbnb Terms of Service about how to disclose those to guests. Airbnb requires that ALL security cameras be disclosed to guests, even those which are outside the house and pointed at the street or the driveway or yard, or which are exclusively for deterrence of crime and not to see arriving guests.
Here is info you need to know on how to disclose cameras at your listing:
Cameras - Disclosure requirements
If you do NOT have the Surveillance Devices button ticked off, on your listing, you cannot use camera evidence in reports to Airbnb or mention it in a review. You will get suspended, or even banned. Airbnb is being quite militant about insuring that button is clicked for camera disclosure. (Which raises the question, since there are so many glitches on the Airbnb site, where buttons that you've ticked off mysteriously come "Unticked", it seems very unfair to suspend or ban a host for failure to check one box! But that is what Airbnb is doing!)
You have to activate the Surveillance Device button under the House Rules section. It's a fairly new button. Some hosts don't know about it. Airbnb added it as a new feature, but didn't send out any notice of the update.
Even with a written disclosure in the description, or the written portion of your Rules, you can still get suspended or banned if you don't disclose via the button. While it's a relatively new feature, Airbnb is enforcing it. A couple of hosts have been suspended already.
In the app, go to: Booking Settings - House Rules - Details Guests Must Know About Your Home - Surveillance or Recording Devices on Property. Slide the button to the On/Yes position.
Then: "Describe any device that records or sends video or audio, or still images. Specify each device's location and whether it will be on or off."
This message will then appear in a pop-up box that the guest agrees to accept in order to complete the booking (like the House Rules).
This provides what Airbnb considers sufficient disclosure at the time of booking, per their TOS, without having to wonder if a guest read the listing description in its entirety to catch it.
It is still a good idea to include surveillance information in your written listing description, written House Rules, listing photos, and any messaging with the guest.
Appended to add that audio recording is not allowed! every state in the U.S. allows the video-only recording of anything in your home without notifying anyone (if you’re grabbing audio, though, you run into wiretapping laws).
Here is info you need to know on how to disclose cameras at your listing:
Cameras - Disclosure requirements
If you do NOT have the Surveillance Devices button ticked off, on your listing, you cannot use camera evidence in reports to Airbnb or mention it in a review. You will get suspended, or even banned. Airbnb is being quite militant about insuring that button is clicked for camera disclosure. (Which raises the question, since there are so many glitches on the Airbnb site, where buttons that you've ticked off mysteriously come "Unticked", it seems very unfair to suspend or ban a host for failure to check one box! But that is what Airbnb is doing!)
You have to activate the Surveillance Device button under the House Rules section. It's a fairly new button. Some hosts don't know about it. Airbnb added it as a new feature, but didn't send out any notice of the update.
Even with a written disclosure in the description, or the written portion of your Rules, you can still get suspended or banned if you don't disclose via the button. While it's a relatively new feature, Airbnb is enforcing it. A couple of hosts have been suspended already.
In the app, go to: Booking Settings - House Rules - Details Guests Must Know About Your Home - Surveillance or Recording Devices on Property. Slide the button to the On/Yes position.
Then: "Describe any device that records or sends video or audio, or still images. Specify each device's location and whether it will be on or off."
This message will then appear in a pop-up box that the guest agrees to accept in order to complete the booking (like the House Rules).
This provides what Airbnb considers sufficient disclosure at the time of booking, per their TOS, without having to wonder if a guest read the listing description in its entirety to catch it.
It is still a good idea to include surveillance information in your written listing description, written House Rules, listing photos, and any messaging with the guest.
Appended to add that audio recording is not allowed! every state in the U.S. allows the video-only recording of anything in your home without notifying anyone (if you’re grabbing audio, though, you run into wiretapping laws).