Hosting International Students in your Home

Do you have a spare room in your home? Do you enjoy meeting new people? Would you like to to earn some extra money? If the answer is yes, yes and yes, hosting international students in your home could be perfect for you.

Why host with Homestay.com?

Homestay.com attracts students from around the world who need a room for a few days, weeks or months. Here are some reasons why you should host students with Homestay.com instead of posting your room on a classified site or listing with a school.

  • Free to signup
  • You set your own prices
  • Request based booking system: host when suits you
  • No requirement to cook meals
  • All our students are over 18 years old
  • Online payments - Avail of our Deposit payment option for financial security in case of cancellation. (Only available in some countries and currencies)

There is no long term commitment required as a Homestay.com host. You can host whenever suits you, for a few weeks over the summer or year round. Please update your calendar for the dates when you will be unavailable.

What does hosting international students involve?

Your student needs their own room to sleep and relax. Most students spend their day either in classes or on excursions. We suggest that you provide a complimentary light breakfast in the morning (cereal, tea and coffee or similar) to start their day. Dinner is an optional extra as is access to do their own laundry. You can make these additional arrangements with your student via our chat system during the booking process. Your student will also appreciate any helpful advice or tips about the local area that you can offer, such as transport options, shops, parks etc.

Student stayed with host Lorraine in Edinburgh

So how does it all work?

Homestay.com is an online platform where students can view hosts, read previous reviews and book a room in a real home.

To appear on Homestay.com, hosts must have an email address and complete an online profile on our website including some information about your home, local area, room prices and photos. This is a short process and once you've added all the information your profile will be reviewed by our team and go live on our website.

Sample of Vancouver hosts

Students search all the available hosts in their chosen location. They will contact you via our messaging system to confirm you are available. They may also ask additional questions about transport options, can they use your kitchen to cook, can they do their laundry themselves etc. You have 36 hours to respond to the student requests. If you are happy that this student is a good fit you can accept them and they complete the booking online. You will receive an email from us with the all the student contact details once completed. The students pay a 15% booking fee (maximum fee of 199 $£€ for longer bookings) and pay you on arrival. We have a deposit payment option where the student pays an additional 25% to us on booking. We will transfer this to you in the event of a cancellation less than 7 days in advance of their scheduled arrival date.

Following the stay the student is asked to review their homestay with you and these reviews are added to your profile. Reviews are very important for students when choosing their homestay so we always recommend you give students a gentle reminder when they are checking out to complete a review of their stay.

Who will you be hosting?

The students you host in your home are not reluctant teens spending a summer abroad; rather they are engaged young people who are eager to learn. The students who book on Homestay.com are likely studying at university, attending a language school for adults (we only allow people age 18 or older to book) or completing an internship.

View all of our Frequently asked questions here

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