Privacy-Safe Noise Monitoring: A Saving Grace for Short-Term Rental Hosts

4/3/2023

Sponsored by Minut

At Minut, we believe that the short-term rental market should be a safe place for everyone. With privacy-safe noise monitoring, property managers and owners can enforce their homes’ rules without recording noise or using cameras. Here are the reasons why we believe guest privacy should be a top priority for all property owners—and how it can improve the experience of your guests.

Unethical Host Behavior and Fear May Be Correlated

The costs short-term rental hosts face in property damages caused by unauthorized parties increase each year. On average, these amount to up to $1,296 yearly. To minimize their expenses, many property owners opt for unsafe monitoring methods such as undisclosed cameras, protecting their homes at the cost of compromising guest privacy, and breaching the guidelines of most short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb.

Unfortunately, these practices have had a negative impact on the short-term rental industry’s reputation worldwide. Many travelers report preferring to book hotels over apartments because they are concerned for their privacy and safety. With more cases of hidden cameras being spotted by guests in their vacation rentals, headlines are raising awareness when it comes to the risk potentially associated with staying at someone else’s home while traveling. What could be the solution to this “hidden camera epidemic”? How can we help hosts and guests find common ground? Here’s why we believe that privacy-safe noise monitoring is the key to making short-term renting work for everyone.

Privacy-Safe Noise Monitoring Is All About Transparency

According to the guidelines of most other short-term rental platforms, guests must be informed of all monitoring devices present within the home they are renting. However, this rule is at times looked over by unethical hosts, and their guest’s privacy ends up being compromised. When hosts turn to a privacy-safe noise monitoring device, they are opting for a method that does not record nor film guests. They’re also ensuring that the rules they’ve laid out on their listing are respected.

Minut sensors are the only privacy-safe noise monitoring devices that can monitor indoor and outdoor noise, as well as occupancy within homes, without recording sounds. Our cutting-edge technology allows us to monitor decibel levels and alert hosts when they exceed a pre-set threshold. Guests then receive a message nudging them to keep it down. To monitor occupancy, we estimate the number of connected devices present in the home. That way, we can ensure no unauthorized parties occur without ever invading the privacy of your guests.

By choosing to implement the right tools and monitoring solutions in their rentals, hosts can work toward creating a better environment for their customers while protecting their properties.