As a part of the application process, all participants will agree to the terms of the following Housing Rules and Regulations and will sign this document.
COMMUNITY
Respect. Participants are ambassadors for their home country and their study abroad program and are expected to act as such. Being polite to neighbors, saying hello when crossing them in the halls, and not disturbing them at night will do a lot to help us to improve our reputation abroad. Respect other tenants by keeping noise levels to a minimum, and by avoiding making noise in hallways and common areas.
Quiet Hours 10pm-8am. There is a national law in Spain prohibiting noise from 10pm-8am every night and neighbors will call the police if this is not enforced. This means that after 10pm it is prohibited to run the washing machine, listen to loud music, walk around in heels, etc. Many student apartments are now equipped with sound sensors that notify the rental agency of loud noise being made in the apartment, and police will be sent to the premises automatically.
FORBIDDEN IN ALL HOUSING
Smoking. Smoking is not allowed in any of our housing. Please leave the building to smoke.
Illegal Substances. In accordance with local laws, the use, possession, and consumption of illegal substances (including marijuana) is absolutely prohibited. Failure to comply with these rules will result in immediate expulsion from housing and the notification of local authorities. If these items are found in a bedroom, occupants of that room will be expelled from housing. If found in common areas, all members of the housing unit will be impacted.
Parties. Parties are prohibited in participant housing, due to local quiet laws in place from 10pm-8am. Keep in mind that the use of alcohol (both inside and out of housing) should be kept to Spanish culturally appropriate amounts. Disrespectful behavior related to alcohol consumption will end up in dismissal from the housing (and/or program). In Spain it is more common to meet with friends somewhere in the city rather than to have people over, so go out and explore!
Overnight Guests. Anyone who is not named on the lease of the shared apartment, residence hall, or homestay contract is forbidden from being in the home between 10pm and 9am. If the program, apartment agency, homestay family, or residence hall is made aware of guests, those in the housing will receive a program warning. A second warning may result in eviction from the apartment, residence hall, or homestay.
Pets and Plants. Participants may not bring pets or real plants into housing.
Balconies and Windows. It is strictly forbidden to throw any object or substance from windows, balconies, terraces or roofs. This includes keys, cigarette butts, liquid or any other item. Participants may not sit on or climb over the railings or hang things out the window unless on designated clothes lines with pins.
HOMESTAYS
Communication. There are no curfews in place for homestays, and students may come and go as they please, while respecting other members of the family and keeping quiet while others are sleeping. Participants should notify their host families with advance notice when they will not be sleeping at home or if they will be missing meals.
Meals. In a homestay, students receive breakfast and dinner. No food or drink should be expected from the homestay outside of these meals. Students must purchase their own food for lunches and snacks. The homestay will designate an area for the students’ purchases and participants may prepare picnics or basic meals but may not use the stove or oven. If the participant misses a meal, it does not mean that s/he gets to “make up” that meal.
Cleaning. Participants are expected to keep their rooms clean and to pick up after themselves in common areas. Host families will do one load of laundry for the participant each week and will enter the participant’s bedroom to clean floors and dust weekly.
STUDENT RESIDENCE HALLS & SHARED APARTMENTS
Cleaning. Participants will be responsible for their own cooking and cleaning. Dishes should be done every day and the common areas should be kept clean and swept regularly. Bathrooms and kitchens should be kept clean and drains unblocked (remove hair from the shower drain and food from the kitchen sink). Personal items should not be left in common areas. Participants will need to purchase their own detergent, toilet paper, and other disposable goods. All housing options are provided with a washing machine for participants to clean their clothes, towels, and bed linens (keep in mind that clothing dryers are not common in Spain).
Cleaning Service. A cleaning service will come occasionally (check with the housing team for schedule) to clean the common areas. They are not responsible for doing dishes, taking out garbage, or cleaning bedrooms. Participants are responsible for cleaning their rooms and for washing bed linens and towels. Note: some student residence halls provide linen service and bedroom cleaning - check with reception at the residence hall for details. Agencies will not clean if personal items have been left out and will report any guests, damages, parties or messes to the housing agency. Extra cleaning costs will be charged if the visit must be rescheduled due to extreme messes.
Garbage and Recycling. Garbage must be removed from shared apartment units every day - this is especially important for organic waste. There are colored trash containers on the street. Recycle plastic (yellow bin), paper (blue bin), organics (brown bin) and glass (green bin) separately. Anything else can go in the grey bin. Within residence halls, waste should be recycled according to the residency policies.
DAMAGES
Bed Bugs. All housing is inspected for bed bugs before move-in date. If a participant suspects that they may have been in contact with bed bugs while traveling, they should be sure to follow the steps necessary to ensure they do not bring bed bugs back into their housing. If bed bugs are found, participants will be responsible for the cost of a professional exterminator, laundry service, and furniture replacement as needed.
Damages. All damages must be reported as soon as they occur to our housing team. If any previously existing damage is found during the check in, it must be reported within the first 48 hours to avoid being held responsible for the costs of repair.
Check Out. All housing should be left in the same condition it was found upon check in. Any garbage, personal items, and perishable food should be removed from the premises or added cleaning fees will be charged to participants. When vacating the apartment, participants must leave their set of keys with their homestay or residence hall reception. For shared apartments, keys should be left in the silverware drawer in the kitchen, in an envelope with their name on it.
KEYS & SAFETY
Lost or Stolen Keys. Each participant is given one set of keys to their building and apartment. Notify the agency/homestay/reception desk (depending on your acommodation) and housing team as soon as possible if keys are lost or stolen. Participants will be charged for replacement keys (estimate 50-100€ depending on type of key) and if keys were accompanied by documentation with apartment address on it (or if keys were lost more than twice during the term), all the locks and keys for all those living in the unit will be need to replaced, which costs upwards of 450€. Should a participant leave the program without returning their keys, the replacement cost will be charged to them.
Locked Out. Participants who are locked out of their housing should notify the housing department. If this happens over a weekend or after business hours, a locksmith may be called, and charged to the participant (expect a fee of around 175€ per door) or a staff member may be sent to open the door (fee of 75€). If this happens during the week (Monday-Thursday 9am-6pm or Friday 9am-3pm, not including holidays) and someone can be sent to let participants in, a fee of 25€ will be applied to cover staff transport.
Locking Up. Participants must properly shut and lock all windows and double-lock doors (adding the deadbolt) every time they leave their housing. Do not let anyone unknown into the building and look around before opening the door, especially at night. The apartment agencies, homestay families, and study abroad providers cannot be held responsible for the loss of or damage to valuables.
UTILITIES
Budget. Utilities are very expensive in Spain. A reasonable budget for utilities is allotted to each of the apartments/families. If the gas, water, or electricity bills exceed this amount, participants will be charged the difference. Heating and air conditioning should be used sparingly and never left on while participants are out of the house or a window is open. If heating or AC must be used while sleeping, they must be set to low. Lights should not be left on in rooms when no one is in them or when the apartment is vacant. Showers should be no longer than 10 minutes.
MOVING
Moving Rooms. Participants must live in the bedroom they have been assigned to. No bedroom changes can be made without permission from the housing department, and any damages or complaints about a room will be charged to those who were assigned the bed. If there are any spare beds in the housing, they are not for use and must be kept clean and set up to welcome a new participant (the housing coordinator will notify in advance if a new roommate is arriving). Participants may not move any furniture inside the housing without permission.
Moving Housing. Changes to housing after the program has started are extremely unlikely. If experiencing issues, contact the housing team as soon as possible so that we can work together to solve the problem. If deemed necessary, the team will facilitate a move. Remember that being flexible and maintaining good communication amongst roommates is crucial for a successful housing experience.
ADDITIONAL FEES
Damages to housing, surcharges in utilities, key replacement, additional cleaning fees or replacement of damaged items (towels, bedding, cookware, etc.) will be charged to, and divided equally amongst, the participants in the housing. The participant’s home university will be copied in these notifications. If the housing department is aware of these damages during the program dates, this will be collected immediately. If damages are found after the check out, participants will be charged once they have departed the program. Failure to pay these fines will result in withholding transcripts, and may be passed to a collection agency.
RIGHTS TO EVICTION
Violation of any of the above may be grounds for immediate eviction from housing without refund. If evicted, participants will be responsible to find and pay for their own housing for the remainder of the program. The program reserves the right to final decisions in these cases.
“Remember you are sharing your accommodation; respect your roommates and/or host family, as well as your neighbors.”
“Remember that you are not on a college campus. Respect the property and avoid the “college campus” mentality.”
“Talk to your roommates and host family if they do something that bothers you. Talking it through is the easiest way to solve a small problem before it gets bigger.”
“Talk to the staff if a problem arises and you cannot work it out with your roommates or host family.”
“Be cautious with the utilities if you don’t want to be charged for extra costs: take quick showers, turn off lights and heating or air conditioning if you are not using it, use curtains and shades to prevent losing the inside heat, etc.”
“Don’t use many appliances at the same time if you don’t want to have the power cut out.”