- Your Contract with Xenia Homestay Ltd
The present Contract is a legal agreement between Xenia Homestay Ltd and the Homestay Host. It outlines the terms and conditions of this agreement and it requires the Host’s signature as confirmation of approval of those.
- The Booking Process
The process of placing a student – hereafter referred to as a Booking – starts with the offer made by Xenia Homestay staff members – hereafter referred to as Xenia – to you the Homestay Host – hereafter referred to as the Host. After the offer of the booking over the phone, the team will confirm the booking with the client before they send you written confirmation of the booking, which includes all the relevant and necessary information about the booking. Upon receipt of the confirmation document, both Xenia and the host have an obligation to honor the booking.
- Arrival and Departure of Students
Xenia will endeavor to acquire the arrival information of each booking by contacting the client (school, agent, college, etc.) We cannot guarantee that an arrival time will always be available as this is subject to whether we have been provided with such information by the client or not. In such cases where an arrival time is provided, Xenia will share this with the host, and the host must ensure they are home to welcome the student on arrival. In such cases where there is no arrival time for a booking, the host is not expected to stay indoors waiting for the student – however, the host is advised to follow their daily plan and have their phone handy and accessible in case the student tries to make contact. Xenia does not normally receive departure details as students might not have booked departure flights at the time of the booking. Xenia advises the host to always communicate with the student directly to find out the departure time. The check-out time is 10am on the last day of the booking. In such cases when the student(s) departure flight is later in the day, it is up to the host’s discretion to allow the student longer into the premises of their home and Xenia shall not interfere in making such an arrangement.
- Bedroom Facilities
A bedroom for international students must be adequately furnished with the basics: a bed with a good-quality and comfortable mattress, pillow, and duvet/blanket; storage facilities such as a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and/or hanging rail; and comfortable studying facilities such as a desk and a chair. If there is a bedside table and a lamp, these will be gladly welcomed. There must be a window in the student’s bedroom, and there must be privacy provision by way of offering a key to the bedroom and/or doors must be properly functioning to be fully closed if the student wishes to do so. The bedroom should also have internet access via WiFi. The host should offer a face towel and bath towel for the students to use, but toiletries of personal hygiene (toothbrush & toothpaste, shampoo and shower gels, deodorants, etc) must be bought by the students themselves.
- Meals and Laundry
Xenia will indicate at the time of the booking the meal plan the student(s) are requesting. Upon accepting the booking, the host also agrees to cater for the meal plan on request. The Meal plans on offer are Bed & Breakfast (B&B), Half Board (HB), Full Board (FB), Self-Catering (SC). The B&B plan includes a continental breakfast with cereals and milk, toast and spread, coffee and/or tea. The HB plan includes breakfast as described in the BB plan, and an evening meal which should be of the same quality and quantity as for the whole family. Unless there are dietary restrictions (which will be made clear at the time of the booking), the student is expected to join in the family evening meal as a member of the family. The FB plan includes breakfast, the evening meal, and a packed lunch which consists of a sandwich, a bottle of water or refreshment drink, a piece of fruit, and a bar of chocolate or a biscuit.
Laundry is expected once a week and it can be done either by the host or the student(s) themselves if the students are aged 18+ and the host is comfortable to allow this. If students wish to have more than one laundry per week, this should be communicated with Xenia so appropriate monetary arrangements can be made.
- Curfew times and front door keys
Different age groups have different curfew times. Adult students (18+) have no curfew times. They should be given a front door key for convenience, and are reminded to use it wisely, not to disrupt the family routine in case they return home late at night. Minor students (-18) have curfew times and they should never break those. Xenia applies a curfew time of 10pm for students aged 16, and 10.30pm for students aged 17. Students aged 15 and under should not be allowed to go out after dinnertime. In case minor students require to stay out past their curfew time, Xenia needs to receive appropriate written authorization by the party responsible for the student (school, teacher, group leader, guardian, etc). If the host is made aware of such circumstances, they must contact and Xenia in order for us to request the written permission of the school.
- Cancellations, Disruptions, Extensions, & Changes of a Booking
After a booking has been confirmed in writing, the host must honor it to its completion date. If the host cannot honor the booking, Xenia requires a notice period of 1 week prior to the arrival of the student(s). A booking can ONLY be cancelled under pressing circumstances such as a severe illness, circumstances in the accommodation which affect the quality of stay, death in the family, and other circumstances of similar and equal significance. When a booking is cancelled without valid reason and/or without the minimum required notice period, a cancellation fee of £20 will apply and be payable by the host to Xenia. Similarly, if a booking is cancelled by the client without the minimum required notice period of one week, the host is entitled to a cancellation fee of £50 payable by Xenia. Alternatively, wherever possible, Xenia will offer a replacement booking instead.
Disruptions of bookings after the arrival of the student(s) are subject to the same terms as the aforementioned Cancellation policy.
In such cases where students wish to extend their stay beyond their original end date, this will be communicated to Xenia – either by the student’s representative – or by the host themselves if the student has expressed this wish to the host directly. The confirmation of the extension will be subject to the host’s availability and willingness.
Changes to a booking’s details – dates, persons, meal plans, rates, special requirements – are subject to the nature of the details and to the availability of the host to accommodate any such changes.
- Visitors
Upon receiving a student into your home, you the host have an obligation to inform Xenia of any visitors (overnight or not) who will come into contact with the student(s), especially when it comes to students under the age of 18. Xenia must be made aware of such cases in order to identify the visitor and inform the client accordingly. If the host fails to inform Xenia, Xenia reserves the right to act in accordance with the client’s requirements in such cases, to preserve the balance and order of collaboration with each party respectively. Similarly, if students wish to have visitors (overnight or not), they must seek the host’s permission first. It is up to the host’s discretion and their family circumstances whether they will allow it or not.
- Payments
Xenia and its partners place bookings on a weekly basis. The host is paid for their services as a Homestay Host every week by bank transfer. The payment counts the nights that the student remained in the premises of the Homestay Host and used the bedroom. The check out time is 10am on the final day of the stay. In such cases when the student(s) departure flight is later in the day, it is up to the host’s discretion to allow the student longer into the premises of their home and Xenia shall not interfere in making such an arrangement.
The rates of pay will be discussed during the registration stage as these are subject to various factors including quality of accommodation, meal plans, shared vs private bathrooms, and special requirements.
- Out-of-Office-Hours Line
Xenia operates an out-of-office hours line which is reserved for URGENT matters only. Questions, enquiries, comments and feedback that are not of an urgent nature, must be communicated to Xenia during office hours. For anything urgent that needs immediate attention, the host must contact the out-of-office hours line and seek support. Cancellations over the weekend are not accepted, except under serious circumstances.
- Home Inspection and Reinspection / Policy on Complaints
A home inspection is part of the initial process of registering as a homestay host with Xenia. After the first home inspection, Xenia reserves the right to do a re-inspection every two years to ensure the standards of the homestay are maintained to the satisfaction of our quality standards. A re-inspection might also be necessary if circumstances demand one: if there has been a complaint in relation to the standards of the accommodation; if the student has reported misconduct on behalf of the host; if the accommodation has undergone changes, renovations and/or redecorations and it must be reviewed anew.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations)
Xenia Homestay Ltd complies with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and abides by the principles outlined in the data protection law:
- Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
- Purpose Limitation
- Data minimization
- Accuracy
- Storage Limitation
- Integrity and confidentiality
- Accountability
Xenia Homestay Ltd address:
71-75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London, UK
WC2H 9JQ
For full details, please view our Privacy Policy.