Disclose every camera in writing before the sit is agreed, say what each one covers and whether it records sound, and have nothing pointed at a bathroom, a bedroom, or wherever the sitter sleeps. A sitter is entitled to ask before accepting, and a homeowner who answers plainly almost never has trouble with the answer. The federal Privacy Act does not cover a camera an individual operates in a private capacity, so the legal detail is set by state and territory law and differs across the country.
Most of the trouble in this area is a disclosure failure rather than a camera. The police check runs on the same logic: it is the sitter's own document to obtain, it costs $56 through the Australian Federal Police, and asking to see one is ordinary rather than an insult.
An undisclosed indoor camera is the fastest way to end a sit badly
Both positions are reasonable, which is why this goes wrong so often. A homeowner in Coburg in Victoria or Coorparoo in Queensland is leaving an animal they love with someone they have met twice, and watching the living room feels like ordinary caution. A sitter is living in that house for a fortnight, sleeping there, showering there, eating dinner in front of the television and being recorded doing it. Being trusted with the keys, the alarm code and the dog, then discovering you were filmed, is the contradiction sitters find hardest to sit with.
Disclosure resolves nearly all of it, because it turns surveillance into a known condition of the sit. Someone told before they accept can decide whether they mind. Someone who finds it on day three has already given up their other options, and the sit is usually over regardless of what the camera saw.
The Privacy Act does not cover a camera in a private home, so the rules come from your state
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is direct about it. Its guidance on security cameras states that the Privacy Act does not cover a security camera operated by an individual acting in a private capacity, but that state or territory laws may apply, and it tells people to contact the Attorney-General's Department in their state or territory.
This article takes no view on what surveillance and listening device law permits, because it varies by jurisdiction and belongs with that authority or your own solicitor. What follows is the norm the two of you can agree between yourselves, which is a separate thing from the law and, day to day, the thing that decides how a sit goes.
Treat audio as its own question. People mind being listened to more than being seen, and a microphone in a living room picks up phone calls that have nothing to do with the sit.
| Device | What the homeowner should say | Where it does not belong | What the sitter should ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor camera | Where it is, what it covers, whether it records sound, whether it stays on | Bathrooms, bedrooms, and the room the sitter sleeps in | Can it be switched off, and who sees the feed |
| Video doorbell | That it records everyone who arrives, including the sitter's visitors | Anywhere it captures inside the house | Whether every arrival sends an alert |
| Pet camera with two-way audio | That it can listen and talk, and when it will be used | Bedrooms and bathrooms, like any camera | Whether the microphone can be muted overnight |
| Smart speaker | That it is there and what account it is signed in to | Not a camera, but treat the microphone the same way | How to mute it, and whether that is acceptable |
| Alarm, sensors and smart locks | That entry and exit times are logged, and who reads the log | Nowhere, but a log still records a person | Whether a late night out will be read as a problem |
Homeowners: put the cameras in the listing, not in the handover
The listing is the right place, because a sitter can self-select before either of you has invested anything. Saying it at the door on departure day is technically disclosure and practically an ambush.
- Name every device, including the ones you never look at.
- Say what each covers. A camera facing the front door is a different proposition from one facing the couch.
- Say whether it records audio, and whether it runs continuously or only on motion.
- Say who can see the feed. A shared family account means the sitter is visible to people they have never met.
- Say how long footage is kept, and undertake not to share clips of the sitter.
That last one matters more than it sounds. Sitterly's community guidelines ask sitters not to share photos or information about a homeowner's home, pets or belongings without explicit permission. Footage of a person living in your house deserves the same courtesy in the other direction. Write it into your house sitting agreement so neither of you is relying on memory.
Say it before they say yes
A camera disclosed in the listing costs you a few applicants. A camera discovered mid-sit costs you the sitter, the rest of your trip and the review.
Sitters: ask before you accept, and put it in writing if you find one
Ask in your first message, in the same breath as the questions about feeding and the vet. Are there cameras or recording devices, where are they, do they capture audio, and will they be on while you are here. A homeowner who answers straight away is telling you a lot about how the rest of the sit will run.
If you find something nobody mentioned, this sequence keeps you in the right and the animals safe.
- Raise it the same day, in platform messages. A written record beats a phone call you will later have to describe.
- Ask three questions. Is it recording now, does it capture sound, and who can see the footage.
- Ask in writing for it to be switched off. Plenty of homeowners simply forgot an old camera and will turn it off without fuss.
- Do not unplug, cover or move a device that is not yours. Handling someone else's property without permission turns a straightforward complaint into an argument about you.
- If the answer does not sit right, end the sit properly. Give enough notice for the homeowner to arrange care, never leave an animal alone to make a point, and use the Report function.
A police check costs $56, and only the sitter can order it
A homeowner cannot run a check on somebody else, because the person applies for their own. The Australian Federal Police publishes the figures below; an accredited body of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission is the other common route, priced by the provider. The ACIC publishes that a check is a point in time check only.
| The question | What the agencies publish | Why it matters in a sit |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | $56, or $113 where fingerprints are required | The sitter pays, and it is cheap enough to keep current |
| How long it takes | Most completed and posted within 48 hours; 15 to 30 business days with fingerprints | Do not leave it to the week before a school holiday sit |
| Who can apply | The applicant applies for their own check and consents to it | Ask the sitter to obtain one. You cannot order one about them |
| What it contains | Disclosable court outcomes: criminal and traffic court outcomes, outstanding warrants, pending charges | A record search, not a character reference |
| What it leaves out | Spent convictions and guilt without conviction may be excluded, depending on the state or territory | Two clear certificates from two states are not identical documents |
| How current it is | A point in time check, with no standard validity period | A certificate issued in March describes March. Read the issue date |
Show it, do not send it. A video call with the whole certificate visible, or the paper copy at the meet and greet, gives a homeowner what they need without a scan of your identity documents sitting in a stranger's inbox. Homeowners, ask for the full page rather than a cropped screenshot, and check the name matches.
Getting one is the sitter's own call, and it is compulsory nowhere in this market. On Sitterly it is practical: homeowners can filter the sitter list by police check, so a profile without one is not so much rejected as never returned in that search. Our guide to what pet sitter verification actually means covers what each badge proves.
Asking is normal, and a state regulator says so. Consumer Protection WA's guidance on house, pet or baby sitting services, last updated 21 November 2024, tells Australians to verify a National Police Certificate has been obtained for anyone who will work in their home, and to seek references they can contact directly.
Nobody runs a check on the homeowner, and it is fair to say so
A sitter is asked for identity documents, a criminal history certificate and references, then travels to an address they have often only seen in photographs to sleep in a stranger's house. The homeowner supplies a listing. Sitters are entitled to do their own checking, and a homeowner who welcomes it is the one worth sitting for. The homeowner's half of that work is set out in our guide to vetting a house sitter.
| Stage | The homeowner can reasonably ask for | The sitter can reasonably ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Before agreeing dates | Verification badges, references, specific answers about the animals | Every camera and recording device disclosed |
| Before booking travel | Arrival and departure times confirmed in writing | The address, and a video walk-through including their own room |
| At the meet and greet | To see the certificate and ID document in person | To see the devices that were disclosed, switched off if agreed |
| During the sit | The agreed updates, and early warning when something changes | Notice before anyone else enters, including family and tradespeople |
| If it goes wrong | An honest account, promptly | No footage of them shared, and a written end to the arrangement |
Sitterly shows a suburb rather than a street address on profiles and listings, so neither side gives up an exact location to browse. The address is shared with a person you have chosen, at the point you choose them.
Platforms market the badge and stay quiet about the check
Checked on 22 August 2026: Aussie House Sitters states in its homeowner FAQs that it does not screen its sitters, while its place-an-ad page markets unlimited access to ID verified sitters. Mad Paws treats police checks as optional and self-selected without publishing how many sitters hold one, Pawshake's own check route carried a notice saying it was unavailable, and PetCloud promotes being 100% police checked without saying who pays or what it costs.
Sitterly's position, to compare like with like: email verification, which is automatic, and an optional police check that members start themselves and an administrator reviews, and homeowners can filter sitter profiles by police check. Some members have completed the check and some have not.
What a Sitterly badge does not mean
Sitterly does not vet, screen, approve or supervise members, does not require police checks, provides no insurance and does not mediate disputes. A badge records that a document was supplied and reviewed, not a judgement about the person. Sitterly supports the connection. Homeowners and sitters remain responsible for their own arrangements.
Common questions
- Can a homeowner have cameras inside during a house sit?
- The legal answer depends on where the house is, because the federal Privacy Act does not cover a camera an individual operates in a private capacity and state and territory surveillance laws differ. The OAIC directs that question to the Attorney-General's Department in your state or territory. The norm both sides expect is disclosure before the sit is agreed, nothing recording bathrooms, bedrooms or the sitter's room, and a written record of what is on.
- Do I have to tell a sitter about the pet camera?
- Tell them. A pet camera watches the room the sitter is living in, and many have a microphone and a speaker. Say where it is, when you will use it and whether it records.
- What should a sitter do about a camera nobody mentioned?
- Raise it the same day in platform messages, ask whether it is recording, whether it captures audio and who can see the footage, and ask in writing for it to be turned off. Do not unplug or cover a device that is not yours. If the answer is unsatisfactory, end the sit with enough notice for the animals to be cared for, and use the Report function.
Start the conversation before you shortlist anyone
Homeowners: write your cameras into the listing today, in one plain sentence, and see who still applies. Sitters: put the camera question in your first message, next to the ones about feeding and the vet. Then browse sitter profiles and use the police check filter to see how the field narrows, remembering that a filter is a filter and the conversation is still yours to have.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Surveillance and listening device laws differ between the states and territories, and this article does not state what any of them permit. Agency fees and published wording were read on 22 August 2026 and change. For the legal position on recording in a home, contact the Attorney-General's Department in your state or territory, or your own solicitor.
