Can anyone help me to indicate Airbnb’s specific rules about CCTV in a common space?

[Rimanda0]

Which Airbnb rules and regulations that forbid us to install a surveillance device in a living room (common space) that have a couch?

Which Airbnb rules and regulations say that the combination  of common space, couch and cctv could be a privacy violation?

Did Airbnb ever warned, when a host stated the couch in their living room as a sleeping device and then the host also disclosed the installed cctv in their house rule list, that it could be a violation to the community trust?

Please help to understand this by show me the pointed specific guidance that Airbnb ever wrote!

Thank you

[Marit-Anne0]

@Rimanda0 

If the sofabed in the living quarters were included in the sleeping opportunities in the house and included in the number of persons the house could sleep, I think the camera would be a clear violation.  

What is very clear is that airbnb decisions are final, appealing to them will not take you further.  If you think there is a strong case, you could take it to court.  

Life is not fair, neither is airbnb.  

[Rimanda0]

@Marit-Anne0 it wasn’t a sofabed, only a regular couch. The maximum guest accepted was two people. The bed in the bedroom fits for them.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Rimanda0 

So someone fell asleep on the couch . It happens.  It also happens that airbnb sides with the guest no matter what.  

But how would the host know that someone slept on the couch unless caught on camera ?  Did the host confront the guest with the camera footage, resulting in the guest feeling that his/her privacy were invaded ?  

Doing "illegal things" may not be illegal inside the four walls of your home or rental.  Are we talking drug use ?

[Rimanda0]

@Marit-Anne0 

The host just watched the entire footage after the account being shut down by Airbnb to see what was actually happening in the living room, because it felt strange. Then yeah, finally they found that the guest were rolling something appeared to be like a weed. If it wasn’t illegal stuff why they were so frightened about the cctv?

and they reported it without having any discussion with the host in advance. The host didn’t know at all at the beginning.

[Helen3]

I don't know how your friend can fix this. Airbnb make it clear that if guests have concerns they should contact the host first.

It seems bizarre that as your friend has CCTV set up as outlined in their policy that they would take down her listing because a guest complained to them directly about CCTV being in the living room without discussion with the host.

Has she tried contacting them on Twitter and their FB?

[Rimanda0]

@Helen3 They did explain via Twitter, but the result remains the same. Airbnb doesn’t want to hear any good will regarding to the account or even the listing. My friend just got “blacklisted”, he can’t even create a new one.

Apparently it seems that Airbnb use face recognition algorithm to screening their member. My friend tried to post the face picture for the second profile, it suddenly logged out after it was finished uploading to the system. When he logged in, a notice appeared “your account has been blocked for security reason”.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Rimanda0 

"Rolling something" does not necessarily mean weed.  In Scandinavian countries it is not at all uncommon to smoke rolling tobacco.  And maybe they were not frightened,  just upset ?  If they knew about the camera and if it were so obviously placed as you say, they would not have tried anything illegal in the first place - IF they were doing anything illegal that is.

[Rimanda0]

@Marit-Anne0 Normal people would just throw the smoke butts in the trash or left it anywhere, but the host found nothing when cleaned up the house. Only an empty cigarette box left in the trash bin. So, it was suspicious.

Some friend said when someone is really a weed smoker, they will play it clean prior to their illegal habit. It’s automatic. Nice facts.

Something that obvious here is they didn’t read and notice about the cctv when they stayed.

[Susan17]

@Rimanda0 

https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/887/what-are-airbnb-s-rules-about-electronic-surveillance-devices...

Airbnb do tend to come down hard on hosts with cameras, up to and including de-listing them (even when the cameras are fully disclosed) every time they're in the news for camera-related issues - which is quite often

https://www.cnet.com/news/airbnb-apologizes-to-guest-for-how-it-handled-undisclosed-security-camera/

[Rimanda0]

@Susan17 Thanks for the references. From what I read there, I got completely different treatment. Airbnb just said that my friend made a violation, but they couldn’t give the specific point. Everything the host has done for the listing was totally under the community guidelines. Airbnb approved it since the first time.

if it was a mistake since the beginning, they should warn the host. My friend didn’t know that it could be a problem in the future time.

[Helen3]

@Rimanda0  It sounds like your friend needs to use other listing companies instead and also speak to their local tourist board, to identify ways to market their place.

[Rimanda0]

We love Airbnb and the community so much. This event is a heart breaking for a loyal member like him.

If it was totally wrong, at least show us the proper reference to the false procedures, so he could leave it in peace. Anyone could have interpretations to this case, but until now Airbnb only said about bedroom and bathroom to be considered as a private space. They don’t even put “etc”