The short version: both Airbnb and Vrbo ban cameras inside the home. Both allow some cameras outside, and noise monitors that don’t record audio, as long as the listing discloses them.
We checked every rule below against the official pages on October 22, 2026. Policies change, so read the current page before you rely on a detail: Airbnb’s Help Center article and Vrbo’s surveillance policy.
Airbnb’s camera policy
Timeline
- Until April 30, 2024: Airbnb allowed indoor security cameras in common areas such as hallways and living rooms, as long as they were disclosed before booking, clearly visible, and not in spaces like sleeping areas and bathrooms.
- March 11, 2024: Airbnb announced a global ban on indoor security cameras, “regardless of their location, purpose or prior disclosure”.
- April 30, 2024: the new rules took effect.
What Airbnb bans
- Any indoor camera or recording device. Hosts may not have security cameras or recording devices that monitor any part of a home’s interior, such as the hallway, bedroom, bathroom, living room or guest house, even if they are turned off or disconnected. This also applies to the shared spaces of private-room listings, like a living room.
- Hidden cameras. “Hidden security cameras are strictly prohibited”, and Airbnb says they always have been.
- Cameras over private outdoor areas. No cameras over exterior spaces where guests expect more privacy, such as inside an enclosed outdoor shower or a sauna.
Airbnb defines a security camera or recording device as any device that records or transmits video, images or audio, such as a baby monitor or a doorbell camera.
What Airbnb allows
- Exterior cameras, including doorbell cameras. Allowed, but the host must disclose their location in the listing description, for example “I have a camera in my front yard”. They may not monitor indoor spaces.
- Noise decibel monitors. These measure sound levels and how long they last, without recording audio. They are allowed indoors if the host discloses them, but not in bedrooms, bathrooms or sleeping areas. Hosts don’t have to say where they are.
- Smart home devices, such as smart speakers. Allowed. Airbnb encourages, but doesn’t require, hosts to disclose them, and encourages hosts to let guests unplug or disable them.
Exceptions
- Japan: certain homes with a Hotel Business License may be required by law to have a camera covering the interior entryway only. It must be disclosed, may not cover other spaces and may not record audio.
- Hotels: hotel listings may have cameras in indoor common spaces such as lobbies, hallways and restaurants.
Enforcement
Airbnb says reported violations are investigated, and action can include removing the listing or the account.
Vrbo’s camera policy
Vrbo’s rules are set out in Expedia Group’s Surveillance Devices Policy. It applies to any Vrbo vacation rental booked on any Expedia Group brand. The policy page carries no date. AARP reported in April 2024 that Vrbo introduced its camera ban in 2022.
What Vrbo bans
- Indoor devices. Surveillance devices, such as cameras and audio recorders, are not allowed inside a vacation rental.
- Cameras pointed in. Devices may not be placed outside to capture the inside of the property, such as a camera pointed through a window.
- Hidden or disguised devices. “Hidden or disguised surveillance devices are never allowed.”
- Private outdoor areas. No outdoor devices anywhere a guest has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as near an outdoor shower or sauna.
What Vrbo allows, with conditions
- Outdoor security cameras, only if all of these apply: they monitor the property’s access points, and the listing clearly discloses their location and coverage area. “Showing the camera in a photo of the property is not enough.” If a camera can see any part of a pool or hot tub, the host must say so in the listing and in a visible place at the property.
- Recordings: hosts must limit what is collected and stored and who has access, and should delete recordings when they are no longer needed.
- Buildings with several units: cameras may be used in the building’s common spaces, such as hallways, reception areas and elevators, but never inside the home or in common spaces where guests expect privacy, such as saunas or common bathrooms.
- Smart home devices, such as smart TVs and voice assistant speakers, if they are disclosed before booking and guests can turn them off.
- Noise decibel monitors, if they are disclosed before booking and do not record or transmit any audio.
Enforcement
Vrbo says it investigates possible violations and may suspend or terminate hosts, who may also have to refund affected guests.
Side by side
| Airbnb | Vrbo | |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor cameras | Banned, even if off or disconnected | Banned |
| Hidden cameras | Strictly prohibited | Never allowed, nor disguised devices |
| Cameras pointed inside | Outdoor cameras may not monitor indoor spaces | Banned, for example through a window |
| Outdoor cameras | Allowed if the location is disclosed | Only for access points; location and coverage disclosed |
| Doorbell cameras | Count as recording devices; disclose | Not mentioned separately |
| Noise monitors | Disclosed; not in bedrooms, bathrooms or sleeping areas; no audio | Disclosed before booking; no audio recorded or transmitted |
| Smart home devices | Allowed; disclosure encouraged, not required | Disclosed before booking; guests can turn them off |
| If you find a device | Emergency services in an emergency; otherwise the 24-hour safety line | Contact Vrbo immediately, and the police if you’re worried about safety; refund possible |
What the rules don’t do
A policy is not an inspection. Vrbo’s policy page says plainly that Vrbo does not “own, operate, manage, control or inspect” the properties listed on its platform.
Rules also depend on reports. Airbnb told CNN in 2024 that hidden-camera complaints are rare. Deposition testimony CNN reported in July 2024 put the number of Airbnb customer support tickets about surveillance devices at about 35,000 over the preceding decade; Airbnb says one report can create several tickets. The same deposition said Airbnb does not notify the police as a matter of practice.
So the rules tell you what you are entitled to expect. Checking the room, and calling the police when needed, is still up to you.
How to use the rules when you book and arrive
- Before booking, read the listing’s description and safety details for disclosed cameras and noise monitors, and where they are.
- On arrival, compare what you see with what was disclosed. Any camera indoors breaks the rules on both platforms. Our rental check-in routine takes about 15 minutes.
- If something breaks the rules, document it and report it to the platform and the police. The steps are in what to do if you find a hidden camera.
Staying in a hotel? Different expectations apply; see the hotel room check.
SpyOff, our upcoming iPhone app, follows the same check-in routine and is designed to keep a record of what you checked and found.
Questions
Are cameras allowed in an Airbnb?
Not inside. Airbnb bans security cameras and recording devices that monitor any indoor space, even if they are turned off or disconnected; the rule took effect on April 30, 2024. Exterior cameras are allowed if the listing discloses their location, but not where guests expect more privacy, such as an enclosed outdoor shower or sauna.
Does Vrbo allow cameras?
Not inside. Vrbo's policy says cameras and audio recorders are not allowed inside a vacation rental, or outside and pointed in. Outdoor security cameras may only monitor the property's access points, and the listing must disclose their location and coverage area.
Are noise monitors allowed in Airbnb and Vrbo rentals?
Yes, if they are disclosed. Both platforms allow noise decibel monitors that measure sound levels without recording audio. Airbnb keeps them out of bedrooms, bathrooms and sleeping areas and doesn't require hosts to say exactly where they are.
Sources
- An update on our policy on security cameras (Airbnb Newsroom, March 11, 2024)
- Restrictions on security cameras and other devices in homes (Airbnb Help Center)
- Promoting the safety of our community (Airbnb Help Center)
- Surveillance Devices Policy, applies to Vrbo (Expedia Group)
- Airbnb indoor camera ban policy (AARP, April 19, 2024)
- No room for privacy: How Airbnb fails to protect guests from hidden cameras (CNN, July 9, 2024, via ABC17 News)
- Takeaways from CNN's investigation into Airbnb and hidden cameras (CNN, July 9, 2024, via ABC17 News)