A man says he was instantly “creeped out” when he made a shocking discovery at an Airbnb he was staying in.
Ian Timbrell took to Twitter to ask whether it was normal that his Airbnb in Aberystwyth had a hidden camera poking out between its sofa which he had not been told about.
Mr Timbrell, who works to help schools become more LGBTQ inclusive, was staying in the flat while on a work trip when he found the camera recording the entire living room.
He wrote: “Ok, normal or weird? My Airbnb has a webcam watching the whole living room.
“Am I wrong to have unplugged it? Seems like a huge invasion of privacy to me.”
After his initial post, Mr Timbrell noticed his accommodation had become infested with “absolutely hundreds and hundreds of flies” and appealed to his followers to help him find a hotel in the Welsh town so he could escape his “disgusting” flat.
Following the infestation, he reported the property to Airbnb and left for a hotel.
Mr Timbrell added in another video: “I managed to find a hotel room last minute for not much more than the Airbnb and it actually includes breakfast
“Lesson learned, hotel stays from now on, not room only Airbnbs.”
Mr Timbrell’s initial post was viewed by more than one and a half million people with many others saying they had experienced similar situations in Airbnb lets.
Under the homestay app’s rules, CCTV is allowed in communal areas, but not in private ones such as bedrooms, bathrooms or other sleeping areas.
But the rules say property owners “must indicate the presence of all security cameras or other recording devices in or around a listing” even if they are not switched on.
Airbnb says undisclosed or hidden cameras are “never permitted”.
