Scottsdale homeowner, Airbnb facing lawsuit after renter claims hidden camera found in bedroom

A Scottsdale spot proprietor and the short-term rental work Airbnb are being sued by a erstwhile renter who claims they recovered a camera disguised arsenic a fume detector successful a bedroom.

The renter filed a suit connected April 2 and was being represented by Accident Law Group successful Tempe, according to tribunal documents.

Alarm bells were initially raised successful March 2024 aft the antheral renting the spot recovered a camera disguised arsenic a fume detector successful the bedroom, constabulary said. Police stated the antheral recovered a removable representation paper wrong the camera that held footage showing the interior of the residence.

Scottsdale constabulary reviewed the footage from the representation paper to find that nary renters were connected camera, and the videos were time-stamped betwixt September and November 2020.

Police said it was chartless if the clip stamps were accurate. If accurate, the videos lone showed the homeowner and his acquaintances and were taken 4 years anterior to the renter being successful the Airbnb, constabulary said.

At the clip of the incident, the Airbnb determination was not registered with the metropolis of Scottsdale arsenic a short-term rental, and Scottsdale constabulary confirmed they contacted VRBO and Airbnb to delist the spot aft learning astir the camera.

"It is not amerciable to person a camera successful the house. It is amerciable to movie radical without their support erstwhile the idiosyncratic has an anticipation of privacy," Scottsdale constabulary said. "We person nary grounds this was done to immoderate renters. With that said, this doesn't suffice nether the instrumentality because, the renter was not successful immoderate videos that we have. There is nary signaling of the renter astatine immoderate point."

While filming radical without support is illegal, due to the fact that the renter who recovered the camera was not successful immoderate of the videos, helium was not a unfortunate of the concealed recordings, constabulary said. The incidental was deemed a civilian contented per the short-term rental agreement, Scottsdale constabulary confirmed.

On April 5, 2024, aft failing to respond to police, the homeowner was cited by the Scottsdale Police Department Short-Term Rentals portion for nonaccomplishment to respond to an emergency.

The lawsuit was inactive nether progressive probe arsenic of April 2025, constabulary said.

People who stayed astatine the Scottsdale Airbnb spot from September to November 2020 whitethorn not person known they were being recorded, according to Scottsdale police.

The Scottsdale Police Department said radical who mightiness person visited the location during that clip should telephone 480-312-TIPS.

Airbnb representative, Ashley Adams, stated that Airbnb had not been contacted by instrumentality enforcement astir this substance and that they person provided guests with accusation connected the Airbnb instrumentality enforcement enactment squad to stock with an investigating officer.

"Hidden cameras person ever been and volition ever beryllium banned connected Airbnb, and issues are exceptionally rare," Adams said. "We supported the impermanent and suspended the big from the level past twelvemonth and are acceptable to assistance instrumentality enforcement with immoderate probe into this allegation."

In 2024, Airbnb adopted a argumentation banning information cameras wrong of listings. Adams additionally stated that they transportation retired inheritance checks connected each U.S.-based hosts and guests, supply users with a 24-hour information enactment and enactment intimately with instrumentality enforcement connected applicable transgression investigations.

VRBO had not responded to a petition for remark astatine the clip of publication, but a hunt of its website recovered a argumentation that states surveillance devices, which usage immoderate signifier of seizure instrumentality specified arsenic a camera oregon an audio recorder, can’t beryllium utilized wrong of a property. Smart devices activated remotely were allowed arsenic agelong arsenic renters were informed of their beingness and fixed the enactment to deactivate them, the argumentation said.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected Arizona Republic: Scottsdale Airbnb renter files suit implicit alleged hidden camera