A family’s holiday stay in Australia took a chilling turn when they discovered a camera pointed directly at the living room of their Airbnb rental.
Kriss and Kate Hardman, along with their three children, had barely settled into the four-bedroom property when they spotted a red blinking light, a sign that the camera appeared to be active.
The discovery left them shaken and prompted an immediate decision to leave for a hotel instead.
The family’s unsettling discovery has gone viral on social media
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
Kriss Hardman first raised the alarm in a video to his social media followers, where he panned to the blinking camera.
“It’s a nice place, but there’s one thing I’m not sure about. Maybe you can help me out. Is that allowed in Airbnbs? Is that standard practice? I don’t think it should be allowed,” he said.
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For the couple, the presence of the device was more than an inconvenience; it was a safety issue for their children.
“The safety of our three children was what meant the most to us,” Hardman later explained.
The family quickly packed their bags, checked out of the rental, and moved to a hotel, even before a resolution from Airbnb was confirmed.
Airbnb’s response to the family’s experience left something to be desired
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
Initially, Airbnb offered to relocate the family to a similar property at no extra cost and to cover their hotel stay, according to the New York Post.
“Airbnb fully supported this. They said that we could move and they would find accommodation equivalent to where we were staying, which was a four-bedroom place central to Perth CBD,” Hardman stated.
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
However, Hardman claimed communication from the company went silent once it became clear a replacement might come at a significantly higher cost.
After their videos went viral and attracted widespread attention, Airbnb management intervened.
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The family was issued a coupon that covered their rental costs, along with assistance in rebooking new accommodation.
“It got us across the line,” Hardman said.
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
“They got us an alternate property in a similar location, and they’re reimbursing everything.”
An Airbnb spokesperson later confirmed that the company’s rules prohibit hosts from placing security cameras or recording devices that monitor indoor spaces in homes.
These include cameras that are turned off.
“Airbnb has provided the guest with a full refund and assisted them in rebooking alternate accommodation,” the company spokesperson stated.
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“In the rare event a host or guest feels unsafe or experiences a safety-related issue during an active reservation, we have a safety team that can be reached via our 24 Hour Safety Line, which is available to all users.”
Still, Hardman noted it was “a shame that it took the power of social media to reach Airbnb for them to do what is the right thing.”
Image credits: Unsplash / Aakash Dhage
Airbnb horror stories have unfortunately become commonplace in recent years
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
While Airbnb has become a staple of vacations and weekend trips, horror stories about nightmare accommodations and experiences have also become quite common.
Just this past April, a couple of Australian influencers who were looking to go to Coachella ended up with firearms pointed at them by armed U.S. police after a night in an Airbnb.
The women, 24-year-old Izzy Armitage and 28-year-old Hannah Dal Sasso, stated that they were jolted awake by deputies pounding on the Airbnb’s doors.
Within minutes, they were out on the street.
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As it turned out, the Airbnb that they ended up booking was illegally listed.
The pair later noted that this was likely the reason why the Airbnb was quite filthy when they arrived.
Image credits: TikTok / hardmanfambam
With these reports in mind, some netizens stated that the Hardman family’s experience with their Airbnb was actually not as extreme.
“That camera was out in the open and obvious. How many rental hosts hide covert cameras to surveil their paying guests?” one commenter stated.
“That camera was out in the open and may have been left behind by the previous renters who were using it to watch their kids or do whatever with it.
“It being out in the open is a big indicator that it was not there due to the homeowner’s actions,” wrote another.
“Put a towel over it, turn it to face the wall? How is it terrifying? Some people love drama,” another commenter noted.
Image credits: Unsplash / Oberon Copeland
Netizens shared their thoughts on the Hardman family’s disturbing Airbnb experience on social media
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