I am hosting in a hanok in Bukchon, Korea.
I belatedly found out about the details of the CCTV policy that was changed on April 30th, and I became worried and wrote this post.
Our accommodation is a house that consists of an outdoor yard, a main building, and an annex when you enter the front door. Reservations are accepted in three categories: using only the main building, only the annex building, and using the entire main building and annex.
There may be cases where guests of the outbuilding and main building make separate reservations and share the yard.
Among the Hanoks in Bukchon, this building has a large yard and is suitable for barbecues and parties.
Bukchon is located in the center of the city, so it is easily accessible if you call someone who lives in Seoul.
However, as it is located in the middle of an old-fashioned residential area, due to complaints such as noise, smoke, smell, fire, and the characteristics of the old building, we strictly control the access of barbecues and visitors. We also request prior consultation.
However, no matter how many times they are announced as notices before reservation and precautions after reservation, they are not followed well.
The fence that touches the road is low, allowing tall people to see inside the building.
So, we installed one CCTV at the gate and another CCTV on the roof so that the fence and yard can be viewed when necessary.
They are all installed outdoors, and each building has curtains on the windows and doors.
However, with the policy change on April 30, only walls are allowed, and they cannot face the garden.
We adjust the angle so that we "only shoot the garden" without looking at the windows and doors.
But, even it is not permitted after 30th.
Someone can come in through the gate. Someone may climb over the fence or throw something harmful into the building through the fence.
If this continues, even if you receive guests from different teams in the separate building and the main building, you will not be able to know that guests are entering accommodations other than your own within the building.
Even if you arbitrarily bring activated carbon or simple coal and light a fire in the yard for a barbecue, the host will not know.
The moment a guest of the main building provides the gate password to receive a delivery or delivery, and the delivery person passes through the gate, it is impossible to know whether the person entered the main building or the annex and then entered the main building.
Even if a guest in a separate building incurs damage, there are no records, so no one can be held responsible or investigated.
Airbnb helper says "If host find traces of barbecue after guest leave, host ask to file a claim."
The reason guest are told not to barbecue is not to collect a fine, but to prevent the harm and danger that may result.
And is it that easy to claim and receive a penalty after the fact? Above all, it's not something I feel like doing.
What are the evidence of barbecue? Is it ashes? Can I collect the ashes and show them? What would you say if the guest said that these ashes were not mine? Why should I be charged a penalty when all the risks I was worried about have thankfully disappeared?
Airbnb says "The garden of a hanok is considered the same as the indoor space." "If guest use a barbecue that poses a risk of fire, request a fine with evidence after leaving the room."
I'm trying to operate according to Airbnb's guidelines as much as possible, but the more I try, the more I think this might not be the case.
