“Homestay”: Guidelines For Italian Language School Students, and Hosts!
Homestay accommodation is intended for people who are looking for accommodation at a reasonable price, but also for the opportunity to live in an Italian home with Italian people, to get to know their daily lives, and to put into practice the Italian they learn during their time at our Italian language school.
Foreign guests are normally respectable, sensible people who come to Italy to study Italian. However, there is a lot of variety amongst our students: there are those who will want to go out a lot to enjoy themselves, and others who prefer to stay at home to rest or study.
Madrelingua looks for hosts (individuals or families) who want to meet and interact with foreign people in a friendly and positive way. To guide this interaction, we have created these homestay guidelines, for both guest and host. It is not possible or desirable to create rules to govern every eventuality, but we hope this list below will act as a guide!
- The cost of the homestay is that published on the website www.madrelinguaitalian.com or http://italiano.madrelingua.info/, unless otherwise agreed in writing between host family and guest
- The guest must be given a key to the home and allowed to come and go freely at any time
- The guest must pay the host the cost of the homestay directly, normally in cash within 24 hours of arrival
- The room must be clean and ready to be occupied at the moment of arrival
- The price of the homestay includes:
- use of the kitchen and bathroom
- the room, or shared room in case of a “double room”
- sheets for the bed
- gas, electricity and water
- the cleaning of the room at the end of the stay
- The price of the homestay does NOT include:
- use of the communal areas of the house (for example, the living room) unless invited by the host
- cleaning of the room or other areas used (kitchen, bathroom) during the period of the stay
- use of the washing machine, iron, computer/internet, etc. (if these are available, their use should be agreed with the host)
- The host is not obliged to offer guests meals, drinks, etc. but gestures of this type (such as, for example, the inclusion of the guest in a shared meal) are always appreciated and are part of the spirit of “homestay” accommodation
- There must always be sufficient space in the kitchen/bathroom for the guest to store their food, wash kit, etc.
- The guest must inform the host of the day and time of their arrival at least 48 hours before. The host must ensure that someone is present to welcome the guest on arrival, give them the keys, show them the room, and so on. In the event that the guest does NOT inform the host of the day/time of their arrival the host is under no obligation to stay at home all day waiting for them!
- The period of the homestay is normally from the Sunday before the course to the Saturday after the course, unless otherwise specified at the time of booking, in which case the host will be informed at the time the booking is agreed. Extra nights must be paid for at the rate of €20 per night.
- The guest may not invite other people into the home or to allow other people to stay the night, without the prior permission of the host
- The guest must:
- keep their bedroom clean, and clean the kitchen/bathroom after use
- avoid disturbing the host (for example, with loud music, or by returning very late at night)
- avoid wasting water, electricity, etc.
- close and lock doors and windows so that the home is protected from theft or damage
Madrelingua Italian Language School, Bologna, offers guests and hosts a free accommodation booking service and therefore will not be held responsible in the event of problems, difficulties or damage caused to goods or persons by the guest or by the host. In the event that the guest does not arrive at the specified day/time Madrelingua Italian Language School is under no obligation to compensate the host for the lost income, which remains the responsibility of the guest.
