New data suggests a growing privacy issue in short-term rentals. IPX1031’s 2025 survey finds 55% of Airbnb hosts admit to still using indoor cameras, despite the company’s indoor camera ban.
The survey also found almost half (47%) of guests say they’ve found a camera during a stay, up from 25% in 2023.
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Some other findings from the 2025 IPX1031 survey:
- 1 in 5 cameras were located in bedrooms, bathrooms or other private spaces
- 59% of guests are worried about hidden cameras in rentals
- 64% don’t know how to check for hidden cameras
How Cameras in Rental Homes Affect Guest Behavior
More than a quarter (27%) of Airbnb guests say they’re more likely to bend the rules as a guest because of the camera ban.
More than two in five (42%) are more likely to skimp on cleaning, 30% are more likely to invite extra guests and 19% feel more free to break small rules. The lack of surveillance leads 64% to say they are more likely to book through Airbnb now due to the ban, according to the survey.
Among rental property hosts surveyed, 64% own one property, 18% own two and another 18% own three or more. Nearly all hosts (89%) say guest trust impacts how they run their rental. More than half (51%) try to minimize house rules, 45% aim to create a comfortable, home-like environment and 42% avoid using surveillance devices.
IPX1031’s 2025 survey of more than 1,000 Americans found 58% of Americans are worried about hidden cameras in rentals. Their fears seem to be justified based on the almost-doubling of cameras being found in rental properties from just two years earlier.
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Among those who have found a camera at a rental home, one in five found them in a common area, bedroom, or bathroom.
What to Do in the Age of Video Surveillance
Even with the ban, surveillance remains an issue:
- 21% of respondents say they’ve found a camera in the past three months
- 28% within the past 3 to 6 months
- 26% within the past 6 to 12 months
- 21% more than a year ago
Even as reports of surveillance grow, nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) admit they don’t know how to detect a hidden camera in a rental property.
More than half (51%) of renters say they don’t trust short-term rental hosts. The top reasons? Concerns about being watched, discomfort with staying in someone else’s space and feeling a lack of control over their environment, according to the survey.
