What if you were gazing out the window of your Airbnb and found a surveillance camera “gazing” right back at you? That was the startling scene that confronted Susan Scott as she relaxed in bed at her recent Mexican vacation rental.
The good news is that a concerned Airbnb customer service agent immediately assisted this frightened solo traveler. He quickly helped Susan find a new vacation rental… one without a recording device monitoring the entire property. The bad news is that a different agent decided the surveillance camera didn’t violate any Airbnb policy.
That decision allowed the host to keep the entire $1,032 that Susan had paid for the anticipated 31-day rental.
With her vacation budget blown and confidence in Airbnb shaken, Susan contacted Consumer Rescue in real-time.
She hoped we could intervene and convince Airbnb that the host’s video set-up most certainly violated her privacy. If our team could do that, she thought, the company would refund the money she’d spent on the rental.
So what does Airbnb’s surveillance camera policy say a host can do with such a device? The outcome of Susan’s complaint hinged on that detail.
Editor’s note: This traveler has a very unusual first name. She’s asked that I use a pseudonym here since she is continuing her journey alone around Mexico.

A solo gal and her cat on an adventure to Mexico with Airbnb
Although Susan is traveling solo, without a human companion, she does have a sidekick – her beloved 15-year old cat, Yvette. She and Yvette have been on an adventure together for some time now with no fixed plans.
“I decided we should go to Merida about two weeks ago,” Susan told me. “I went to the Airbnb listings as I usually do and I found a cute studio apartment.”
The Airbnb, located in a great, walkable location, looked bright, colorful, and cozy. At just over $30 a night it was just the right place for a budget-minded lady and her cat. Susan booked the vacation rental for 31 nights and the pair made their way to Merida two days later.
Arriving late in the afternoon, Susan was impressed with the bungalow-style studio apartment.
“The listing matched the reality of the Airbnb property,” Susan says. “I was pleased with my selection and I thought we’d have a lovely stay there.”
However, her opinion of this vacation rental would drastically change just two days later.
Finding a surveillance camera pointing at this Airbnb
The following day after checking into her new abode, Susan began to settle in.
She opened up all the windows and front door to let in the tropical breeze. Next she sat down at the comfy desk area by a sliding glass door as Yvette stretched out at her feet.
Later, Susan and Yvette went out into the small garden area just outside the bedroom window to soak up a little sun.
Turning in for the night, Susan sank down into the comfortable bed with Yvette by her side. It had been a perfect day. She intended to walk into town in the morning to explore a bit and pick up some groceries.
In the morning though, all of her plans for the day changed. As she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, she glanced out the window.
“That’s when I suddenly noticed a camera attached to the house about 15 feet from my Airbnb,” Susan explained to me. “It was aimed directly at where I was sitting in bed.”
Because the bungalow was so small, it was immediately clear to Susan that there was no escaping the lens of that camera. It pointed into the sitting area of the garden, the front door, the bedroom window and the desk area where she’d been answering emails the previous day.
She suddenly felt very vulnerable and unsafe, a feeling she had not previously had during her travels.
Asking the vacation rental host to remove the camera
Because there were no curtains on the windows, there was no way to block the peering surveillance camera. So Susan put on her robe and started texting the host.
“I sent a message to her [the host] and told her I discovered the camera pointing at the Airbnb,” Susan recalled. “It turns out that is her house. She told me that it wasn’t a big deal and that it [the surveillance camera] had no ability to ‘see’ inside the property.”
Susan didn’t find the Airbnb host’s explanation at all convincing.
If she could easily see the nearby camera pointing inside then nothing would prevent it from recording her, she reasoned. Susan asked the owner to take the camera down during her stay, a request that was immediately refused.
Asking Airbnb to find a new vacation rental for this guest
Getting nowhere with the host, Susan next contacted Airbnb customer support. She explained that the owner had installed a surveillance camera on the adjacent property pointing directly into the tiny studio.
She quickly uploaded the photos of the camera attached to the corner of the neighboring property and asked to be re-housed. Susan had no intention of staying another night under video surveillance.
The initial Airbnb agent got straight to business. He quickly located three available, pet-friendly vacation rentals in the nearby vicinity and asked Susan to pick one. The helpful Airbnb ambassador explained that after she selected the new property, he would send her a coupon to pay for seven days. He also sent her a $100 meal voucher.
“It was my understanding that after my refund from the first Airbnb was processed, it would go straight to the new host to cover our month-long stay there,” Susan explained to me. “I picked one of the suggested vacation rentals and Yvette and I quickly packed up and left.”
Unfortunately, a few days later, Susan got an unpleasant surprise.
A different, infinitely less sympathetic Airbnb agent had reviewed her complaint and the host’s rebuttal. He found that no Airbnb policies had been violated by that surveillance camera trained on all parts of the property.

Susan was stunned.
Consumer Rescue investigates: Did this host violate Airbnb policy?
Susan’s case was unusual in that she was sending her request for help while still in the midst of her travel fiasco. Her situation was urgent because without that refund from the original Airbnb, her long-term travel plans were at risk.
I’m a long-time Airbnb user who has never had an issue with a rental before. I checked into a month-long rental in Mérida, Mexico. 2 days later, I noticed a video camera on the neighboring unit (the owner’s home) pointing directly into my windows/doors.
The listing had said there was a camera “at” the back door, which is not the same as across from the back door and pointing inward. I would have never made a reservation if this had been honestly and transparently stated.
It was a very small studio with almost nowhere to hide from the camera.
I felt extremely unsafe and violated. Airbnb will not refund my rental fee and now I’m paying for a second property. Can you help?
Susan included some photos of the property with a link to the listing.

I was quickly convinced this host owed Susan a refund. It appeared to me that she was trying to circumvent Airbnb’s surveillance camera rules by installing the device on a separate property.
That’s not ok.

Asking Airbnb to have another look at this guest’s plea
It was a Saturday night when I received Susan’s request for help from Mexico.
Related: Why did Travelocity send me to a permanently closed hotel in Mexico?
She was distraught, and it was clear that she felt that her complaint to Airbnb had not been taken seriously. Susan found it hard to believe that the vacation rental listing giant would approve an owner not disclosing a surveillance camera facing the inside of a property.
I found it hard to believe, as well. And since I know the Airbnb executive team to be reasonable and quick to respond to complaints that I bring to them, I hoped we could swiftly resolve what I thought was the follow-up agent’s mistake.
So, that Saturday evening, I sent a message over to the team.
Hi Airbnb team!
I have a somewhat urgent request for help here today.
***** **** is a solo female traveler (with a cat) making her way through Mexico using Airbnb. She checked into this Airbnb in Merida, intending to stay there long-term from Jan 9 to Feb 5.
It’s a cute little studio apartment. But on the second day of her stay, she noticed a surveillance camera attached to the owner’s stand-alone home right next door. That camera is trained on the small, detached studio apartment’s front door, the windows where the bed is located, a sliding glass door by the kitchen space, and the outdoor garden area. There is no way to escape this camera. **** has sent me a photo she took from the bed of the apartment, and the camera is aimed right at it. (I will attach all the images under my signature).
She contacted Airbnb as soon as she saw the cameras and let customer service know that she felt unsafe and wanted to leave. As I mentioned, she’s a solo female traveler in Mexico. The Airbnb representative was sympathetic and quickly helped her relocate and even sent her a food voucher and a coupon that paid for a week at the new place. BUT… a few days later, another (anonymous) Airbnb agent sent her a message and said that Airbnb had determined that this host didn’t violate any Airbnb rules with that camera, so she was not entitled to a refund for the aborted stay. I assume this Airbnb agent is mistaken based on what I’m looking at.
Could you all have a look at this and see if it’s possible to get ****’s refund processed quickly? That’s her traveling funds, and now it seems that this other Airbnb agent is saying that the host with the camera aimed at and into the unit can keep her money. Your customer, ****, is a bit distraught tonight in Mexico and I hoped to be able to give her some reassurance this evening that Airbnb is reviewing her case.
Thank you!! 😊 Michelle

The good news: Airbnb agrees about this surveillance camera
Within an hour or so, I heard from one of our executive contacts at Airbnb, who asked their team to investigate. Within 12 hours, Susan received the good news: Airbnb agreed with her and would require the host to refund her rental fee.
Hi Michelle,
I am so thrilled to share that I have now received a (almost full) refund from Airbnb.
I am truly so grateful for your help! Thank you!
You are providing such a meaningful service at Consumer Rescue.
Thank you again. This is such an immense relief.
PS. Attached is a photo of Yvette relaxing at our new, safe rental. She is also SO grateful for your help.
Sincerely,
“Susan Scott”

I’m happy we could assist you and Yvette. Enjoy the rest of your travels! 🐈😃
What guests need to know about Airbnb’s surveillance camera policy
If you’re a traveler looking for absolute privacy during your next vacation, you need to do a little research. First, a little reality check: skipping Airbnb or Vrbo in favor of a hotel will not ensure that you won’t appear on a surveillance recording. In fact, most hotels have security cameras in all public areas as do cruise ships.
Related: What if your child was banned from taking a Carnival cruise forever?
Of course, these devices aren’t recording inside your room, but they are in all common areas. The reason? To protect the company from liability, protect their property, and provide security for guests.
For the same reason hotels and cruise lines install surveillance cameras on their properties, Airbnb permits hosts (with limitations) to do the same.
Here’s what you should know about Airbnb’s surveillance camera policy.
Airbnb bans indoor security cameras
Unlike Vrbo, which doesn’t allow shared space rentals, Airbnb does allow this type of arrangement. Because strangers may be staying together under the same roof, Airbnb has historically allowed the use of indoor security cameras in public areas like living rooms, kitchens and common hallways.
Related: Vrbo doesn’t allow shared space rentals, so why won’t this host leave?
But in 2024, Airbnb updated its surveillance camera policy to prohibit any indoor surveillance camera. It is also forbidden to aim outdoor cameras into the home – as was the case with Susan’s property.
Devices like doorbell cameras and noise decibel monitors continue to be permitted on Airbnb and can be an effective, privacy-protective way for Hosts to monitor security for their home and get ahead of issues like unauthorized parties. However, Hosts will be required to disclose the presence and general location of any outdoor cameras before guests book. These cameras will also be prohibited from monitoring indoor spaces of a listing and are not allowed in certain outdoor areas where there’s a greater expectation of privacy, like an enclosed outdoor shower or sauna.
From Airbnb’s updated security camera policy
Hosts are also required to disclose the presence of noise decibel monitors, which assess decibel level only and do not record or transmit sounds or conversations and are only allowed in common spaces of listings.
If it is your hope not to stay at a property where the owner will be openly, visually monitoring the unit in any way, skip listings that include this “amenity” below.

Look at the vacation rental reviews on the Airbnb site
It’s super important to study those reviews under each Airbnb listing. That’s where you’ll find all sorts of clues about the person you’ll be renting from and the property.
Had Susan delved deeper into this person’s listing, she would have discovered a 3.8-star review of the vacation rental. She would have also learned that two out of five guests left early at this unit. That fact alone should have raised some concerns. Unfortunately, Susan didn’t look closely at the reviews of the place she intended to live for a month, until after she found the surveillance camera.
Never sacrifice safety, comfort, or common sense for dollars.
But whether you’re considering a $30 or a $300 per night property, look very carefully at the listing’s features and guest reviews. Always do your research before booking, not after you’ve already discovered a problem.
The bottom line
A vacation rental host installing a security camera at their property isn’t quite as outrageous as it might seem initially. After all, Airbnb hosts are entrusting guests with their homes, which can exceed million dollar values.
However, placing cameras that are focused on the property’s interior is a violation of guests’ privacy.
Airbnb hosts with hyper-vigilant tendencies should clarify that they intend to monitor all aspects of the vacation rental. That detail should be disclosed in the listing so that Airbnb customers can decide with their eyes wide open whether or not they agree to that level of observation. Transparency is key.

If you believe an Airbnb host wasn’t upfront in their listing and you were forced to leave without a refund, send your complaint to our consumer advocacy team. We’ll be happy to investigate, and if the facts are on your side, we can help you, too. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer Rescue)

Wow, seems like a “bot” reply that told her there would be no refund!
Great work Michelle… always looking out for the consumer!
Thanks, Dave 🙂
I hope Airbnb would have refunded the money regardless if the party was a woman with a cat, an obese elder man, a Tibetan monk, or a supermodel.
If “Susan” and Yvette are travelling in an RV or something they can sleep in, be sure to let them know that in Mexico, they can camp on a beach for free. In northern Mexico, we would occasionally see a van or a tent with folks camping out and enjoying the Sea of Cortez (Americans call it the Gulf of California).