Topless woman caught on real estate drone camera

The offending board has now been removed Photo: @JaydeVincent

A board advertising a property for sale in Mt Martha went up earlier this month, but soon became well-known not for the home itself but the neighbour sunbathing next door.

Ms. Lingard, mother of three and grandmother of one, was lying face down in her back garden, in nothing but a G-string, when she noticed the drone nearby. Initially, though, she did not realise why it was flying around the area.

"[I] thought it was a kid’s toy. It hovered around and luckily I was face down at the time,” she told the Herald Sun.

"Then a couple of weeks later I walked out my door and thought oh my god that’s what it was doing; taking photos. You could see it’s our backyard and quite clearly it was me.

"It’s in the real estate magazine, it’s on the internet and on the board and I’m really embarrassed."

Ms Lingard's son has also seen it, with his friends making jokes about it, she added, highlighting the need for agents using drones to consult nearby homeowners who might be inadvertantly caught on camera or affected in other ways.

Steve Walsh of Eview real estate said he did not realise Ms Lingard had ended up on the sale board's picture, but argued that it's "something that Google does and people use that everyday".

He also emphasised the useful nature of drones when advertising real estate: “Most bayside listings benefit from elevated shots to capture the setting. Problem is that until drones came into existence you were very limited in what you could do. Now it’s quick, cost effective and captures a range of images that showcase the property at its best.”

Outside of Australia, Savills has recently echoed Walsh's comments about the use of drones.

"It’s not just about selling the house, it’s also about selling lifestyle and the wider area," says Ed Sugden, director of Savills Country House Department. "A brochure would normally lead with images of the house and formal gardens, whereas a video can capture the whole.

"It allows a potential buyer to look beyond the brochure, and allows us to convey a lot of information far more quickly and efficiently."