TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR HOMESTAY PROVIDERS
The following terms set the minimum standards expected for the provision of student accommodation by homestay providers who are approved by ELH and are on the Register of ELH Homestay Accommodation.
Student’s Room:
Each student will have their own room. The room should be clean and comfortable, sufficiently spacious, adequately equipped, heated and lit, with natural light, a table or desk for private study, and hanging and drawer space for clothes. Bed linen and towels should be changed weekly. There should be a good supply of blankets.
Sharing homestay with other students:
No other student of the same nationality or speaking the same language will be accommodated at the same time, unless this is specifically requested by the student.
Laundry:
Small articles of laundry should be included in the household wash – heavier articles by arrangement.
Access to facilities:
A daily bath or shower will be available to the student.
Food:
Partial board [a good varied breakfast and a substantial dinner at night] is required from Monday to Friday.
Full board [3 meals a day] is required at weekends.
Payment for homestay:
Payment will be made to the homestay provider by English Language House, as agreed.
Changes:
If possible, one week’s notice should be given by either side if a change of accommodation is required. English Language House cannot be held responsible for any student changes in dates of arrival or departure or last minute cancellations.
Inspection of homestay accommodation:
English Language House reserves the right to inspect the accommodation at two days’ notice, and will usually inspect accommodation at least once every 2 years.
Removing a student from homestay:
English Language House reserves the right to re-house a student, without notice or compensation, if the guidelines of this document are not met.
Holiday periods:
Students are not expected to pay a holding fee or retainer for their room during vacation periods. homestay providers are not expected to store students’ property during vacation periods.
Requirements, Suggestions and Advice:
We advise you NOT to let your student[s] use your telephone for outgoing calls.
English Language House advises you not to loan money to students. ELH cannot accept responsibility for any money owed to you by students, nor for repairs and replacements of items damaged by students. Any damages to your household items should be claimed either from the student[s] or via your household insurance. We advise you to check that your household insurance would cover any such claims.
We will only place our students with a homestay provider who will regard them as members of the household and will try to integrate them into life in the UK and show an interest in their welfare, safety, security and personal development.
Students should be encouraged to speak English as much as possible in your home. Students’ different cultural backgrounds should be respected and we ask homestay providers to be sensitive to the needs of the student[s].
STUDENT ALLOCATION PROCEDURE: When we have a student who is looking for homestay provider accommodation, we check that they understand the meaning of ‘homestay’ and whether they have any special dietary requirements, whether they smoke, and whether have any computer requirements. We will give this information to a prospective homestay provider together with the nationality/first language, gender, and approximate age of the student. If the homestay provider agrees to accept the student, we will write to confirm this information and give the homestay provider’s contact information to the student. We will ask the student to then contact the family to introduce themselves and to arrange a convenient arrival time. This contact may be by phone, email or letter.
Homestay providers are expected to maintain a close liaison with English Language House so that any problems may be resolved as soon as possible.
Homestay providers should not make private accommodation arrangements directly with students; this could lead to complications.
Student’s Room:
Each student will have their own room. The room should be clean and comfortable, sufficiently spacious, adequately equipped, heated and lit, with natural light, a table or desk for private study, and hanging and drawer space for clothes. Bed linen and towels should be changed weekly. There should be a good supply of blankets.
Sharing homestay with other students:
No other student of the same nationality or speaking the same language will be accommodated at the same time, unless this is specifically requested by the student.
Laundry:
Small articles of laundry should be included in the household wash – heavier articles by arrangement.
Access to facilities:
A daily bath or shower will be available to the student.
Food:
Partial board [a good varied breakfast and a substantial dinner at night] is required from Monday to Friday.
Full board [3 meals a day] is required at weekends.
Payment for homestay:
Payment will be made to the homestay provider by English Language House, as agreed.
Changes:
If possible, one week’s notice should be given by either side if a change of accommodation is required. English Language House cannot be held responsible for any student changes in dates of arrival or departure or last minute cancellations.
Inspection of homestay accommodation:
English Language House reserves the right to inspect the accommodation at two days’ notice, and will usually inspect accommodation at least once every 2 years.
Removing a student from homestay:
English Language House reserves the right to re-house a student, without notice or compensation, if the guidelines of this document are not met.
Holiday periods:
Students are not expected to pay a holding fee or retainer for their room during vacation periods. homestay providers are not expected to store students’ property during vacation periods.
Requirements, Suggestions and Advice:
We advise you NOT to let your student[s] use your telephone for outgoing calls.
English Language House advises you not to loan money to students. ELH cannot accept responsibility for any money owed to you by students, nor for repairs and replacements of items damaged by students. Any damages to your household items should be claimed either from the student[s] or via your household insurance. We advise you to check that your household insurance would cover any such claims.
We will only place our students with a homestay provider who will regard them as members of the household and will try to integrate them into life in the UK and show an interest in their welfare, safety, security and personal development.
Students should be encouraged to speak English as much as possible in your home. Students’ different cultural backgrounds should be respected and we ask homestay providers to be sensitive to the needs of the student[s].
STUDENT ALLOCATION PROCEDURE: When we have a student who is looking for homestay provider accommodation, we check that they understand the meaning of ‘homestay’ and whether they have any special dietary requirements, whether they smoke, and whether have any computer requirements. We will give this information to a prospective homestay provider together with the nationality/first language, gender, and approximate age of the student. If the homestay provider agrees to accept the student, we will write to confirm this information and give the homestay provider’s contact information to the student. We will ask the student to then contact the family to introduce themselves and to arrange a convenient arrival time. This contact may be by phone, email or letter.
Homestay providers are expected to maintain a close liaison with English Language House so that any problems may be resolved as soon as possible.
Homestay providers should not make private accommodation arrangements directly with students; this could lead to complications.
HOMESTAY PROVIDER BOOKLET FOR STUDENTS
Homestay Providers will be required to complete and share a booklet with students which will include, but not be limited to, the following information:
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How to use:
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Dos and Don'ts
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