One of the benefits of a pandemic (and ongoing no-fly ban by husband), is plenty of time. Like enough to read straight through a 9 page thread.
TL; DR: I agree w/ ikabuk, that the rental owner most probably had illicit internal cameras, possibly for nefarious reasons.
Reasons: The rental company shut-down communication w/ ikabuk pretty quickly and harshly, which leads me to believe they received d@mning evidence of serious renter violation. In 2021, esp for the kind of business that depends on OL reviews, for customer service to act so is unusual.
The owner had, at a minimum, 6 external cameras. Which means he could VERY clearly see that the extra bodies, and accompanying luggage, left his house after a few hours stay and did not spend the night. I suspect he edited the footage submitted to the rental Co. to show extra guests arriving, and did not submit the date/time footage showing them leaving.
Owner probably also submitted the footage of kooky faces, and captioned those w/ his concerns that such “reckless” behavior would portend serious damage to his property.
I think ikabuk found at least 1 of the internal cameras; confirmed to the owner when ikabuk covered it. The risk of ikabuk uncovering more would increase the longer he remained. If owner had cameras in compromising places (eg. above bed, in bathroom), he would know that ikabuk had not yet discovered them b/c they were uncovered, and better to get him out before discovery.
Why I believe ikabuk: Biggest clue is that he hiked the AT. And that he vlogged about it. I know anecdotes does not = data. Nonetheless I personally know approx 9 (and not me... 45min walk enough for me) persons who have hiked The or most/much of the AT, and every one of them is solid and very clear about integrity. It might have something to do w/ all that time... in their head...on a trail...immersed in nature, giving clarity. As a group, they also have excellent intuition, which prob helps them survive unscathed. They tend to be down to earth, and prob not above making faces at snooping cameras. And the vlogging-for-many-years aspect, shows he is a very social animal who likes to share. So if a red flag goes up in ikabuk’ s mind, I would pay attn.
Philosophical: TL; DR: caveat dawning of new world order, i.e. give a foot, they’ll take a mile
Humans are first and foremost social creatures. Our relationships are what is most valuable. When we deny this, to ourselves, to each other... then what is living... as a human being worth?
To spend a few hours conversing with other humans, esp relatives (re-enforcing healthy animal relationships) is normal, and should be encouraged. In past times, to have another person cross your threshold and enjoy hospitality was a highest goal.
Now we have evolved as a society where the individual is becoming increasingly isolated. Furthermore, it sometimes feels, the individual is regarded as only a wallet and how much money, or value, can be extracted. Do we want to societally accept that the value of a couch or toilet is higher than human conversations?
I think it is ridiculous that a landlord or property owner would prohibit a few friends/family from visiting a few hours. I’m not talking party, trash the property, disturb the neighbors. To prohibit normal, healthy human behavior is anti-social and odd. Taking those conversations to a restaurant or other venue changes the dynamics of the comfy, homey atmosphere.
Furthermore, do we want to normalize surveillance? Especially internal surveillance. If property owners can do it to renters, then why shouldn’t the government be able to do it to citizens? Do we want to allow CCTV like they have in U.K.? I would be very very reluctant to give up more rights to privacy.
I would be very careful wording your review, esp. if the owner knows your name and address. Also be succinct, not one of those humongous single paragraph sea-story reviews, or the internal cameras warning may get lost.
