16 HouseSitMatch Members Weigh the Pros and Cons of Home Security Cameras While House Sitting

HouseSit Match blog editor Kelly Hayes-Raitt debates the pros and cons of home security cameras when she house sits. Home security is important naturally, however, the use of external and especially internal security cameras can be contentious between sitters and owners. Read on to learn what 16 members of the HouseSit match network feel about the use of cameras.

16 HouseSit Match Members Discuss Home Security Cameras While House Sitting

By Kelly Hayes-Raitt

Throughout my 15 years as a house sitter, home security cameras have remained a hotly contested topic.

While most sitters and homeowners agree that outdoor security cameras are generally acceptable, indoor “nanny cams” may be considered invasive by some sitters.

Pros and Cons of Home Security Cameras for Homeowners

Some pet owners have installed indoor home security cameras to check on their pets while they are at work or out for the evening. Often, these cameras can be activated or deactivated remotely (by their mobile phones, for example).

“Do I get a vote in this security camera debate?” *Photo by Kelly Hayes-Raitt*

While this might provide added peace of mind for the homeowners, the presence of activated home security cameras might deter some experienced house sitters and reduce the homeowners’ choice of sitters.

Pros and Cons of Home Security Cameras for House Sitters

Some sitters don’t mind an active security camera in the “public” areas of a home (e.g. the living room, kitchen, pet play area), while others are uncomfortable with any indoor home security camera.

House sitters have a variety of reactions to home security cameras. But if, like me, you are a sitter who refuses house sits with active internal security cameras, your house sitting choices might be limited.

I personally am fine with outdoor security cameras, but I feel house sitting is an exchange based on trust, and indoor surveillance cameras make me feel like I am not trusted.

Disclosure Is Important

If you are a homeowner who has active indoor home security cameras, it’s important to forewarn potential sitters. In fact, on some house sitting platforms, it’s mandatory to disclose their existence.

“At HouseSit Match, we like to think that our homeowners will be happy to declare all the live security cameras on the property so that the house sitter is aware,” says HouseSit Match Founder Lamia Walker. “It is also recommended that homeowners respect the privacy of the house sitter by turning off the internal home security cameras while they are away.”

During my video interview with homeowners, I ask specifically about security cameras, aka “nanny cams,” and alarms so that we can have a frank discussion. I also ask about the storage solutions for these cameras, such as cloud storage for security cameras, to ensure there are no issues with data management or accessibility during the house sitting period.

I ask again about these in my written house sitting agreement form. (I also ask about weapons, but that’s a topic for another blog!)

Compromises

If you are a sitter who is uncomfortable with being surveyed by an indoor home security camera, it’s important to convey this to the homeowner and come to an agreement about whether or not the system will be turned off during your sitting assignment.

You might agree to have the system activated only during certain hours.

Or you might agree to an active camera only in certain areas of the house (for example, by the back patio door).

Or you might agree to activate the home security camera when you are out of the house.

During my video interview, I ask the homeowners how often they’d like me to send them photos during the sit. Sometimes, that alleviates a homeowner’s desire to have a camera activated.

Clear communication before the house sit is agreed to is the key!

HouseSit Match’s Community Weighs In

Recently, Lamia Walker asked her members how they feel about security cameras. There were a lot of opinions!

Homeowners’ Responses

Homeowner Terri Allington wrote that she totally detaches her indoor cameras before a sit. “It’s not appropriate to watch someone.”

But Emilie Péladé wrote, “We’re thinking of adding [a camera] facing the feeder as it’s so hard to find a sitter who sends pictures regularly during a sit. Being able to check on our pet whilst he eats would be a relief.”

Some Sitters Are OK with Home Security Cameras – PRO

Gretelle Jiménez Cid raised the point that sitters benefit from the added security, as well. “Because I often sit alone in remote locations, I would appreciate having access to the [outdoor] video feed. When the dogs start barking in the middle of the night, I’d like to know if I should be calling the police!”

“It’s just the world we live in,” wrote Kathleen Howe. “Pet owners want to check on their pets. I have a new sit coming soon and the lady let me know there is a camera in the living room. Take it or leave it, at least she let me know.”

Caitlin Melody noted that one of her hosts has indoor home security cameras. “Honestly, it doesn’t bother me. I can understand their need for security [and to] keep an eye on their entrances.

“I know it can be a very divisive topic,” Melody continued, “but as long as there aren’t cameras in private areas like bedrooms and bathrooms, I don’t see any difference between any other workplace cameras.”

Saskia Graviou agreed: “I work with cameras on me all the time in my regular job. Pet sitting is a job to me, so I expect it. It shows me the pet owners care about the welfare of their animals. If indoor cameras bothered me, I would not do the job.”

“My opinion is as long as you are told, why should it matter?” asked Kath Marie O’Sullivan. “It’s their home and their pets.”

Other Sitters Oppose Home Security Cameras – CON

But most of the sitters who responded to the survey oppose home security cameras. Here is a sample of responses:

Tanya Saker wrote bluntly, “Internal cameras are an invasion of a pet sitter’s privacy.”

Kymberly Jean wrote that she’ll put up with the outdoor cameras, but “it’s the hidden indoor camera that bothers me.” She cheekily continued, “I warn them that I’ll be walking around nude, so if you don’t want your husband seeing my goodies, I would turn the cameras off. We both get a good laugh at that one.”

“Currently, I’m in a large old-style Mexican home with cameras everywhere,” wrote Dee Gibney. “It’s very disconcerting to know that [the homeowners] … could be watching everything I do and, worse, listening in on all my conversations.”

Vicki Walton commented, “If they need cameras, they don’t trust me. The sit is based on trust by the homeowner and the sitter. I won’t take a sit where they won’t allow me to disconnect indoor cameras. So far, it hasn’t been an issue.”

Longtime sitter Bragi Johnson agreed. “It’s all about trust. If they have a security camera inside, I am not taking [the sit].”

But Andrew Stoner wrote, “I would not mind it. I have nothing to hide.”

Sitter Andy Ralphs quipped, “I wander around naked in the morning. Cameras would not be good for anyone!!!” (Apparently, he doesn’t have anything to hide, either!)

Personally, I’ve never had a homeowner insist on keeping an indoor home security camera on. If they did, I’d pass on the sit. Their insistence would make me more uncomfortable than the camera itself. To me, it would indicate they aren’t really considering my comfort.

But Gin Ger rhetorically asked: “If homeowners have security cameras, why do they need a house sitter?”

But the BEST Security System is a House Sitter!

Obviously, a home security system doesn’t replace a human house sitter who can troubleshoot if there are maintenance emergencies (such as a burst pipe or a window broken during a storm).

Sitters also help keep an otherwise unguarded home from being broken into…Or occupied, as happened to empty houses surrounding a home in a French village that a HouseSit Match sitter was caring for. She kept the house secure until the American owners were able to sell it.

“House sitters provide great security for the property,” noted Lamia Walker. “In the decade we have been working with both homeowners and house sitters, we have learned that the very presence of sitters will reduce incidences of theft. House sitting works!”

[Note: Some quotes were lightly edited for clarity or brevity.]

Although she’s recently “settled” in Lisbon, Portugal, Kelly Hayes-Raitt can’t stop house sitting! Last month, she pampered 4 dogs on an estate in Tanzania, where she also “oversaw” the staff and resolved issues for the property owner’s vacation rental guests.