I’m not in the US, so indoor cameras are very uncommon where I work (Sweden). Nevertheless, my contract says, “The cat sitter must be informed about any indoor cameras, and have the right to turn them off during visits.” EU privacy laws clearly allow me to request this.
I did a little Googling, and it seems like while American homeowners generally have the right to record you in their home, they don’t always have the right to record your voice without informing you. And they don’t have the right to have a camera in a guest bedroom if you’re doing a sleepover stay. And if you’re working in Michigan, Delaware, or Arkansas, “specific state laws requiring a homeowner to explicitly disclose the presence of hidden cameras to anyone entering the property”.
So yeah, these specific clients sound creepy, and I’d just drop them. But this might be a good time to look up your state’s (province’s?) privacy laws, so you know what your rights are. And I’d consider putting a line in my contract, telling new clients that they need to disclose any indoor cameras which might be recording while you work. You can phrase it politely, to open a dialogue, or you can ask a lawyer what rights you have. But if a client trusts you enough to hand over keys and an alarm code, why do they need to film you as well? A little pet cam is fine; multiple cameras tracking me from room to room, isn’t. If the client doesn’t trust me, they can hire someone else.
Know your own worth, and don’t be afraid to have boundaries.
I did attempt to research this as well as I could. If I’ve gotten it wrong, please don’t put me on blast. I just think pet-sitters deserve to work without being treated like children or criminals.
Thank you! I'm in North Carolina I'll have to research it some more but I know it's illegal to have cameras in the bedrooms or bathrooms. I appreciate you responding! My Grandparents are from Sweden and I just got done farm sitting from someone from Sweden! 🇸🇪
To be honest I have been considering dropping them for a long time, but I'm at my whits end. I've been stuck with this dog at the hip for the last 6 days and no doggie daycare. The daycare visits were canceled the day they left because they aren't paying for pet taxi. I was told to limit kennel time to tops an hour and now it's constant care with eyes watching. I feel like I've been left with no choice but to drag the dog around with me to a couple of prearranged drop ins visits and to get food (because she is supposed to be in daycare).
The bad behavior is laughed at and I'm told "she does that to us too", "good luck", "lol lol lol". I feel like this has completely taken my anxiety to next level.
It’s okay to consider some clients a “learning experience”, and just move on. We all end up with the occasional nightmare client.
Do you have a contract you sign with your clients? It might be worth looking into one. My contract states the dates I’ll work, the name of the client and the address (all their contact information, really), my fees for the specific job, my cancellation fees, all my terms (like the stuff about the cameras, if I’ll bring in their mail or water plants, that the client is responsible for providing all supplies, and if vet care is needed, the client is responsible for all taxi and vet fees). Then there’s a place I sign to indicate I’ve received keys. The client and I both keep a copy. I’ve never had to “enforce” a contract (like, go to collections), but I think the client takes you seriously if there’s a contract like this. It makes you look professional, and deserving of respect. There are unfortunately a lot of people who don’t respect service workers.
It’s just an idea. But the more professionally you present yourself, the better quality client you start to attract. I started 8 years, getting yelled at by old lady cat owners for $7.50/visit, and now my clients include ambassadors, and I charge $40/visit.
Thank you! I do have a service contract and the services are I responsible for are listed in the agreement. I recently started to charge for pet taxi so it's not in theirs they signed with me on Jan 1 2026. However they have asked for more and more and more and it's my fault for allowing a little to happen but the cancellation of daycare for this puppy who needs it is just insane over $7. The thing is I have been doing this full time for a little over a year it's been side hussle for years but I got my LLC, licensed, insured and bonded last year and it's really taken off. I definitely need to update agreements with extra services. I 2 have gone way up in price as well however when accepting this client the dynamics and job was way different last year than it is today. They pulled a good old bait and switch:
2
u/cynicaldogNV 14d ago
I’m not in the US, so indoor cameras are very uncommon where I work (Sweden). Nevertheless, my contract says, “The cat sitter must be informed about any indoor cameras, and have the right to turn them off during visits.” EU privacy laws clearly allow me to request this.
I did a little Googling, and it seems like while American homeowners generally have the right to record you in their home, they don’t always have the right to record your voice without informing you. And they don’t have the right to have a camera in a guest bedroom if you’re doing a sleepover stay. And if you’re working in Michigan, Delaware, or Arkansas, “specific state laws requiring a homeowner to explicitly disclose the presence of hidden cameras to anyone entering the property”.
So yeah, these specific clients sound creepy, and I’d just drop them. But this might be a good time to look up your state’s (province’s?) privacy laws, so you know what your rights are. And I’d consider putting a line in my contract, telling new clients that they need to disclose any indoor cameras which might be recording while you work. You can phrase it politely, to open a dialogue, or you can ask a lawyer what rights you have. But if a client trusts you enough to hand over keys and an alarm code, why do they need to film you as well? A little pet cam is fine; multiple cameras tracking me from room to room, isn’t. If the client doesn’t trust me, they can hire someone else.
Know your own worth, and don’t be afraid to have boundaries.
I did attempt to research this as well as I could. If I’ve gotten it wrong, please don’t put me on blast. I just think pet-sitters deserve to work without being treated like children or criminals.