Host Family Housing Norms

While the home stay experience is potentially very enriching, it also requires effort, maturity, responsibility and flexibility.

SLU-Madrid has a limited number of host families available.

SLU-Madrid housing should receive most housing applications before the following deadlines:

• Submit housing applications for the fall: starting around March.
• Submit housing applications for the spring: starting around July.

*Note that host families located in certain areas (nearby SLU, city center) and host families for students with dietary restrictions/intolerances are very limited.

SLU-Madrid has Student Responsibilities and Community Standards, students who fail to behave accordingly to these expectations maybe subject to disciplinary action which can go as far as housing suspension or expulsion.

SLU-Madrid Housing Refund Policy

Most host families do not speak English fluently. If the student does not speak Spanish, the relationship may be difficult to build. Spanish host families do not have to speak English. Being in a different language environment will be an essential part of the student's international experience.

The University encourages fluid communication between the family and the student wherever possible. Remember that many problems can be solved by having a polite, open and honest discussion with the host family. However, if there are any problems between the student and family that cannot be resolved in this manner, the student should contact Housing Coordinator Beatrice Torres.

Relationships between the host family and the student cannot be "guaranteed". The sense of feeling like I had a second family, may or may not be achieved. We can only guarantee that the host family will be welcoming and will provide support and company.

There are two options to choose from:

First option: room and half-board only two meals (Spanish breakfast and dinner).

The host family is expected to:

• Allow the student moderate use of the kitchen to prepare his/her own drinks, snacks, etc., provided that the kitchen is kept clean at all times and the rules of the family are followed.
• Provide the student a small space in the kitchen to store a small amount of food/drink if the student is not allowed to store these in his/her room.

The student is expected:

• Not to cook, therefore he/she should refrain from using the kitchen to cook. The student may use the kitchen to prepare drinks or snacks, he/she must make sure to keep the area clean at all times. Failure to do so will result in the withdrawal of this facility.

Second option: semi-independent living (no meals). Students are responsible for purchasing and preparing their own meals and must clean the kitchen after each use.

The host family is expected to:

• Establish a schedule for kitchen use that is convenient for both the family and student.

The student is expected to:

• Respect the family's customs, wash your own dishes, and ensure the kitchen is kept clean at all times.

Students are responsible for their mid-day meals.

Meals are not transferable and negotiating with the family in terms of meals is not permitted.
Students are not allowed to take anything from the refrigerator or kitchen without permission.

Students must inform his/her host family in advance if he/she is unable to eat at the homestay when expected.

The host family is expected to:

• Establish a meal schedule together with the student in the house. Once agreed upon, this should be followed by both the family and student. The host family should inform the student in advance if, for any reason, the meal schedule cannot be followed.
• Provide a typical Spanish breakfast, which is usually a light breakfast consisting of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate with toasted bread butter and jelly, fruit, yogurt, cereal or pastries. If the student desires to eat something else, he/she should discuss it with the family in advance or purchase it himself/herself.
• Provide a varied weekly dinner menu that includes a first course, main course and dessert (in Spain, dessert customarily consists of a piece of fruit or yogurt). Spanish families typically prepare meals and clean the kitchen in the morning, as it is uncommon for them to cook in the evenings. Consequently, students on the half-board meal plan should expect that their dinner will generally be prepared earlier in the day (usually in the morning) and served in the evening.
• Listen to students' food preferences. However, the family is under no obligation to provide for specific dietary needs that have not been prescribed by a doctor.

The student is expected to:

• Advise the Housing Department of any special dietary requirements before arriving in Madrid. This request must be accompanied by a doctor's note about food allergies or dietary needs and the housing agreement signed by the student is the student's consent to release this specific dietary information to the prospective host family/ies. Upon arrival, the student should confirm with his/her host family that notification has been received and that the dietary needs can be accommodated.
• Inform the host family in advance if they will not be home for a scheduled meal or will be spending the night elsewhere.
• If not satisfied with the Spanish breakfast, the student is responsible for buying his/her own breakfast.
• Students are expected to adapt to Spanish cuisine as part of their cultural experience. Meals may differ from what they are accustomed to at home in both flavor and preparation. Students should be open to trying new dishes and cooking styles, as unwillingness to do so may lead to frustration for both the student and the host family.
• It is important that students are prepared and open to trying different foods and cooking styles if they plan on living with a host family. Mealtimes and meal preparation might also differ from what they have grown accustomed to in the US.

The host family is expected to:

• Provide the student a room with a bed, desk, study lamp, chair and closet. If there are two students to a room, there should be one of each available to each student. There should not be any item in the student's room that belongs to the family.
• Accommodations are not to be co-ed; host families house students of the same legal gender only.
• Respect the student's right to privacy in their bedroom and bathroom when they are inside.

The student is expected to:

• Adapt to the fact that in Spain apartments are smaller than in U.S. Sometimes very small. Buildings can be old and room distribution does not allow for big spaces.
• Respect the family's right to privacy in their bedroom and bathroom.
• The student must inform his/her host family if he/she will not be spending the night at home by phone, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.
• Students must maintain an acceptable level of tidiness and personal cleanliness, keeping their rooms orderly at all times. Clothing should not be left on the floor, and bathrooms must be kept neat and clean.
• The student can use the family common areas, but should respect the customs of the family. Refrain from inviting guests during the day to the home without the explicit permission of the family. The student should show courtesy in respecting the family's preferences in this matter and should not abuse the request by asking more than once a week. When permission is granted by the family to have a friend over during the day, the visit should take place in common areas (bedrooms are off-limits). Visits by more than one friend at a time are strongly discouraged. No visitors are allowed in the garden area or the entrances of the apartment buildings.
• Guests, including family members, are not allowed to stay overnight in the host family home.
• Sexual activity is not permitted in the host family home or in their building.
• Respect the quiet hours in the house and not listen to music, watch television, use the telephone or any "Skype" type of services between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. The student will be allowed to use his or her personal laptop at night, as long as the volume has been muted.
• Refrain from keeping or consuming food in his/her bedroom unless he/she has permission from the family to do otherwise.
• The storage or consumption of alcohol and/or drugs is strictly prohibited.
• No smoking is permitted unless explicitly authorized by the host family. Students must respect the family's customs regarding where and when smoking (cigarettes or e-cigarettes) is allowed.

• The host family's address must not be carried or stored together with the house keys for security reasons.
• On the move-in date, students are provided with a set of keys to the host family's home, which includes access to the main entrance and the flat.
• Keys issued on move-in date are owned by the host family and are to be used only by the student assigned to that family during his/her stay. Students are responsible for their keys until their official move-out date.
• Students should keep their keys with them at all times and always lock the front door.
• The family may request the student in their home to leave the keys in the home while the student is travelling.
• Host family-issued keys may not be duplicated, modified, or loaned to another person.
• All lost, stolen, or broken keys must be reported to their host family and the Office of Student Life.
• Students are responsible for the cost of replacement keys. And the locks if their keys have been lost or stolen.

The host family is expected to:

• Not to wash any clothes brought by the student from previous travel the student made have made before move-in day.
• Not to take care of delicate clothes nor dry cleaning clothes.
• Wash and dry two loads of laundry per week (one of white clothes and one of colored clothes). This also includes the student's bedsheets.

The student is expected to:

• Take all dirty clothes the student may have from previous travel prior to move-in day to a launderette.
• Take any delicate clothes and dry clean clothes to a dry cleaner themselves.
• Students are expected to maintain proper personal hygiene and maintain themselves in a neat and clean manner.

The student is expected to:

• Use internet moderately and reasonably.
• Refrain from downloading movies and games. Coursework may get jeopardized if the line and WIFI access is used up for those two purposes.
• Refrain from using the landline except in the case of an emergency. The student is not permitted to make personal telephone calls without the permission of the family.
• Refrain from receiving telephone or Skype calls between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. unless it is an emergency. The student should limit the noise, the number and the length of calls they receive to a minimum, especially if the family expresses concern about the student talking loudly at night.

Electricity is very costly in Spain, and water is both expensive and limited in supply. Students are encouraged to use both resources responsibly.

The student is expected to:

• Make reasonable and responsible use of personal electronic devices (e.g.: hairdryers, hair irons, computers, etc.) in his/her room and/or bathroom. If the student is in doubt as to what constitutes reasonable use, please contact the housing coordinator. For large devices (e.g.: heaters), permission must be sought from the family.
• Students must limit showers to one 10-minute shower per day and turn off the faucet whenever possible.
• Students should make every effort to switch off all lights and electrical appliances when leaving the home or whenever they are not being used.
• Students must be aware that most buildings in Spain are provided with central heating. That means, months and hours to turn on heating are approved by the community of landowners. Most apartments do not have air conditioning nor fans.

The host family is expected to:

• Refrain from discussing financial/cost issues with the student. If this occurs, the student is asked to inform Housing Coordinator Beatrice Torres. Since the student pays housing costs to the University, he/she does not have the authority to negotiate payments.

The student will be held responsible for any damage resulting from the abuse or misuse of any item or equipment belonging to the family or abuses in the use of the telephone, electricity or water by the student. All such matters, including compensation which the student may be liable to pay must be handled through the University.

Host families must adhere to regular procedures to avoid bed bug, flees, etc. infestations in the house. As a result, any student who brings bed bugs, fleas, etc. into the host family's home will be held responsible for any fumigation costs incurred.

It is the student's responsibility to inform the host family of their expected arrival time on move-in day. The student must contact their assigned host family at least two weeks prior to the move-in date. Communication may be made by phone call, WhatsApp message, email, or letter.

When moving out from the host family's home, the student must return the house keys and leave his/her room swept clean and in its original condition.

Reassignment requests that are made before check-in are considered by the housing coordinator. Approval, however, is dependent on the ability to make the change as this may affect other students and is often not in the best interest of the wider community. After check-in, any concerns with the Host family option, should be discussed immediately with the housing coordinator who will try to resolve the situation.

Reassignments are not always possible, in circumstances such as, but not limited to:

• No vacant space is available.
• Students affected with the change.

Students are expected to stay and may not move to another host family until all means of resolving the situation have been reviewed and the change is approved by the housing coordinator.

Students who move without approval may be required to return to their original assignment and/or may be subject to disciplinary action.

SLU-Madrid will not assume responsibility for hotel expenses or alternative housing during the reassignment process. Unless there are documented extenuating circumstances, students may change host families up to two or three times per semester, subject to host family availability.

Students who are granted to move to a new assignment are responsible of making their own way into the new assignments.

The University reserves the right to change a housing assignment at any time should it become necessary for any reason.

If a student living with a host family were to be hospitalized, the University reserves the right to notify this to the student's host family for the host family to look after him/her during the hospitalization period and to take clothes, phone charger, computer, books and other personal belongings to him/her, etc.

Saint Louis University-Madrid reserves the right to notify the student’s home campus authorities and the student's family in case of a student's hospitalization.

Students with any medical pre-existing conditions (physical or mental) will be responsible for following the guidelines provided by their physicians in their home countries and for seeking the adequate resources to continue any treatment while they study in Madrid. Students may use their Sanitas Medical Insurance which is included in the tuition price. Students may contact Dr. Borrás, general practitioner in Sanitas, who will be able to refer you to any specialist within Sanitas at dr.rvborras@gmail.com and/or SLU-Madrid Counseling Center at counselingcenter-madrid@slu.edu.

While SLU-Madrid will make every effort to support students with severe medical conditions so that they may be capable of successfully completing their academic work, at times, such medical conditions are so severe that they negatively affect both the student as well as other members of the campus community.

Students with such conditions may continue to study at SLU-Madrid and access services such as Housing as long as the medical condition does not affect the coexistence of the student among the SLU-Madrid community members to the extent of being disturbing and disruptive. Examples of these disturbing/disruptive behaviors include, but are not limited to: poor social interaction with host family/roommates, or social interaction that is aggressive, hostile, threatening, or disturbing to others; behavior suggesting the presence of a medical and/or mental illness that is causing significant disruption/distress to the student's family/roommates, such as depression (e.g.: self-injurious behavior, suicide threats/attempts, isolating oneself in the room while at home, etc.), anxiety disorders (e.g.: becoming hostile or excessively anxious when family members/roommates do not follow rigid routines, etc.), eating disorders (e.g.: excessive weight loss, binge eating, vomiting frequently, or unusual requests regarding food and menus, etc.), and substance abuse, among others.

When the presence of such behaviors is detected, the Department of Student Life, in coordination with the University Counseling Center, and the Dean's Office, will determine the appropriate action required, including, but not limited to: continuing academic studies while receiving appropriate treatment for the medical condition; leaving the home stay; taking a leave of absence; or withdrawing from SLU-Madrid.

When signing/confirming the Student Housing Agreement you are confirming that you:

• are aware of all the statements written above on this document
• are aware of the host family living expectations and norms
• will comply with everything mentioned and stated on this document
• will comply with the housing payments and the housing refund policies.