Hidden Cameras Among Travelers’ Top Vacation Rental Concerns

A new survey of vacation property renters found that fair policies and privacy are travelers’ top priorities, with a shockingly high number of tourists reporting cameras in their rental homes.

According to a study from IPX1031, 64 percent of respondents from the United States plan on renting vacation properties in 2023, with 60 percent preferring private homes, 31 percent preferring apartments, 31 percent preferring cabins and 27 percent preferring condos.

While 41 percent of Americans said they favor rental properties over hotels or resorts, 22 percent revealed they’ve had a bad rental experience, with 25 percent saying their property was dirty.

Privacy and Security Are Top Priorities
Privacy and security remain two of the top concerns related to vacation property rentals, with 58 percent of respondents saying they were worried about hidden cameras and another 25 percent admitting to finding a video recording device.

As for fees, around 66 percent of Americans reported that cleaning fees have increased, with 46 percent deciding not to rent a property due to the additional charges. Another 74 percent believe it is unfair for hosts to ask guests to clean while charging a cleaning fee.

Despite the backlash, 93 percent of respondents said they still straighten up their rental properties before leaving.

General Property Policies
General property policies were also a hot-button topic, with 70 percent saying they would be less likely to rent if a host had a strict cancellation policy and 69 percent being less likely to rent a property if a host had strict rules.

Earlier this year, Key Data revealed a significant rise in the number of vacation rental reservations made in January. Reservations made in the U.S. were up 27 percent, from 3,332,605 to 4,245,574 trips, and up 19 percent in the U.K., from 877,169 to 1,039,495 visits.