Cameras, noise sensors, smart locks: what the law allows in your rental
Ahead of winter, many owners equip their property for remote management: an entrance camera, a noise sensor, a keypad lock, a smart thermostat. These tools protect your asset, but if they are badly placed or undisclosed, they can lead to a suspended listing or even criminal proceedings. Here is where legitimate monitoring ends and invasion of privacy begins.
Indoor cameras: a ban with no exceptions
Since 30 April 2024, Airbnb has banned all security cameras inside listings, including in living areas, even when switched off or disclosed in the listing. Other platforms apply similar rules, and French law points the same way: filming or recording a person in a private place without their consent is an invasion of privacy, punishable under article 226-1 of the Criminal Code by one year in prison and a €45,000 fine. A rented property becomes the guest's temporary home: the fact that you own it changes nothing. Video baby monitors, voice assistants with cameras and indoor video intercoms fall under the same logic. For a high-end property with valuable furniture, protection comes from a dated photo inventory, a security deposit and suitable insurance, never from images of the occupants.
Outdoor cameras: allowed, but strictly regulated
A camera covering the entrance, driveway or parking remains acceptable, under three conditions. It must be clearly disclosed in the listing before booking, with its location and the area it covers. It must never point at the inside of the property, a window, a hot tub, a sauna or an outdoor shower. And it must not film the public street or neighbouring properties beyond what is strictly necessary. In a co-owned building, a camera installed in a common area such as a landing or lobby requires approval from the general meeting. Under GDPR, you are the controller of the footage: inform guests with visible signage, keep recordings for a few days only and restrict access to authorised people. A well-used outdoor camera helps check the number of guests or a late arrival, not track your guests' comings and goings throughout their stay.
Noise sensors, locks and thermostats: getting it right
Connected noise monitors are now the most effective tool against unauthorised parties, a sensitive issue in apartment buildings and ski resorts alike. They are allowed provided they measure decibel levels without recording conversations, sit in shared living areas and are mentioned in the listing. Occupancy sensors that count devices connected to the Wi-Fi follow the same principle: disclosed, they are tolerated; hidden, they become a problem. Smart locks generate an entry log, which is personal data to be kept only as long as genuinely needed. Thermostats, humidity probes and leak detectors, on the other hand, collect no information about people and raise no difficulty. The rule to remember is simple: any device that captures sound, images or presence must be disclosed, visible and proportionate to a clear purpose, whether the security of the property or the peace of the neighbours.
How SmartStay equips your property without putting your listing at risk
Before every season, we audit the connected equipment in each property we manage: outdoor camera placement, field of view, disclosure in the Airbnb and Booking listings and on our direct booking site, and on-site signage. We favour devices that protect without filming occupants: a unique keypad code for each stay, noise sensors that do not record, temperature and leak probes for chalets left empty midweek. Alert thresholds are set to trigger a courteous message to the guest before any intervention, which defuses most situations without conflict or a negative review. Access logs are kept for as long as needed to handle a possible dispute, then deleted. This framework protects you three ways: against damage, against a listing suspension for non-compliance and against criminal liability. It also reassures guests, who book more readily when a property is transparent about its equipment.
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