Renting a house with several cameras facing the outside. The basement tenants mentioned some suspicious things about the landlord, and now I’m wondering if he’s sketchy.
How can I check for hidden cameras?
Yeah, that’s a Blink Mini. It has a microphone. I use one for my front door.
Sloan said:
Yeah, that’s a Blink Mini. It has a microphone. I use one for my front door.
Oh wow, this changes everything. I unplugged all of them. We’ve got four on this floor. Going to confront the landlord and get them out. I’ll update you all soon.
@Indy
Update: The basement renters filed a police report. We spoke to the cops, and they told us to keep unplugging them if it doesn’t escalate things. When we unplug them, the landlord reactivates the ones he can access. The police are handling more for the basement renters because their situation is worse—they’re planning to move out.
I own two of these. They’re Blink Minis from Amazon. They have great microphones (you can hear through walls) and night vision.
This is absolutely not normal landlord behavior. It’s creepy and completely inappropriate.
If this is a private apartment and not a shared living space, having cameras inside is very shady. Cameras in shared common areas are one thing, but in private spaces? No way.
Super sketchy. Why wouldn’t they just use outdoor cameras?
Peyton said:
Super sketchy. Why wouldn’t they just use outdoor cameras?
Probably because these are cheaper and easier to set up. But inside a window, the infrared doesn’t work—it reflects back inside.
@Zain
They could get a window mount to make it work, but as it is, it’s not effective.
Peyton said:
Super sketchy. Why wouldn’t they just use outdoor cameras?
We already have doorbell cams for the front and back doors.
Peyton said:
Super sketchy. Why wouldn’t they just use outdoor cameras?
We already have doorbell cams for the front and back doors.
There’s no reason to have these cameras anywhere private, especially with audio recording. You should push them to move the cameras outside.
You’re renting? Why not just unplug them?
Madden said:
You’re renting? Why not just unplug them?
The landlord keeps reactivating them. He’s here often because his family stores stuff in the garage. He says it’s for insurance because we don’t have any.
@Indy
Check the legality in your state. In mine, landlords can’t legally have cameras inside a rental home.
@Indy
Unplug them and only plug them back in when he gives proper notice. Or tape over the mic holes to block audio.
This is beyond sketchy.
I have Blink cameras, and yes, they have microphones and speakers for two-way communication. They don’t record 24/7 but can be set to record motion or manually record live views. Do you notice any lights turning on? Green means on, red means recording. They also make a clicking noise when activated.
@San
We didn’t notice any lights before, but the basement cameras showed a red light last night while we were outside. Thanks for the info.
@San
He’s taped over the lights now, so we can’t tell when they’re recording.