Los Angeles HOMESTAY....... in Northridge (near CSUN)

You can expect to be warmly greeted when you are picked up at the Van Nuys Fly Away Bus Terminal or upon your arrival at our Homestay.

You can expect that you will always be treated like a member of our family. With that, comes respect and privacy. You will be expected to return the same to others.

You can expect to be invited to family outings, gatherings, celebrations, etc. That is not to say that you are obligated to attend. Your stay with us can be as involved or as private as you want it to be.

You can expect, on your first full day in Northridge, a brief tour of our neighborhood showing you the bus stop locations and the train station. I will forward URL’s to your email to help in planning your travel and using public transportation. I will show you where the free CSUN shuttle will pick you up and drop you off.

You can expect a clean and comfortably furnished bedroom. Each bedroom has a ceiling fan, which you may use at your own discretion and for your own comfort level. 

You can expect a clean bathroom upon your arrival, with a tub/shower combination that you may or may not be sharing with another Homestay guest (depending on occupancy of the second & sometimes third bedroom). The sink area is small, so please keep your personal items in your bedroom.... NO clutter around the sink. You may leave shower/bath products out of sight around the tub or on the window sill. Your bathroom has a fan to remove shower/bath steam and odors. It also has a heat lamp for warmth upon exiting your bath/shower. Both of these items have clearly marked timers located on the wall above the light switch. Please use the fan after EVERY shower/bath to remove excessive moisture from the bathroom. Please be sure the fan is left in the ON position for a minimum of 6-8 minutes.

You can expect to have laundry facilities made available to you on the same pre-arranged day and time each week. Laundry products such as detergent, bleach, fabric softener will be made readily available to you.

You can expect to receive a 4-digit access combination, usually consisting of the day and month of your birth, which will allow you to gain access to our Homestay. For security reasons, each guest receives their own unique 4-digit access combination which allows us to monitor entry. This access combination will be deleted on the day your stay with us is complete. Our front door also has a SECURITY lock that is used ONLY at night. Your unique 4-digit access combination will NOT unlock this lock. This SECURITY lock is left unlocked until 10:30 p.m. each night [this is the time I usually go to bed]. If you have plans to go out for the evening and will be returning later than 10:30 p.m. you must tell me prior to that time by calling me OR texting me. ATTENTION: VERY IMPORTANT- If the SECURITY lock is locked and you have forgotten to tell me that you will be returning late, DO NOT wake me up to give you access. Plan on sleeping at a friend’s or in your car, but DO NOT wake me up to give you access. If you decide to stay at a friend's home for the night, you do not need to inform me.

Upon leaving your room or the house for any extended period of time, you will be expected to turn off ALL lights, fans, computers, etc. to conserve electricity.

You will be expected to keep ALL personal information about me, my daughter and our Homestay private. Please do not disclose our phone numbers, street address or any other information to anyone without prior approval.

You will be expected to dress appropriately at all times. Bathrobes///clothes are required to walk to and from the bathroom.

You will be expected to act appropriately at all times. Profanity, foul language, inappropriate jokes, etc. will not be tolerated.

No open flames or candles allowed in bedrooms or bathroom.

You will be expected to conserve water. Southern California has experienced a "drought" for several years now and we watch our daily water consumption very closely. Water is very expensive, therefore, everyone is allowed to take ONLY one (1) shower per day and you will be expected to limit your water usage to a maximum of 10 minutes of running water. The shower is equipped with a water manager and is programmed to allow only 10 minutes of “full flow” water and then the flow will be reduced by 2/3. It will only allow enough water flow to rinse off, so please plan ahead. Hot water will stop flowing at 10 minutes. DO NOT TURN OFF THE WATER during your 10 minutes unless you have completed your shower. If you should turn off and then turn on the water within your 10 minutes, the water flow will ONLY be at 1/3 of the normal flow for the duration of your 10 minute shower.

You will be expected to keep your bathroom clean at all times. I don’t use your bathroom; therefore, I WILL NOT CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM. You and your fellow Homestay guests are the ONLY people using your bathroom on a daily basis. However, on rare occasions your bathroom might be used by the occasional guest or visiting family member; therefore, please keep it clean at all times.

You will be expected to share the responsibility of cleaning your bathroom on a regular basis; sharing that responsibility with the other Homestay guest(s). When we have more than one Homestay guest, a schedule will be made available to everyone indicating assigned weeks. If you decide you don't want to share in the cleaning of your bathroom, please talk to me regarding the weekly cleaning fee.

You will be expected to limit your laundry usage to one (1) load of laundry per week. Again, due to the water drought that Southern California is experiencing, each additional load of laundry will be $10.00 or if you would prefer, I would be happy to direct you to the closest public laundromat.

You will be expected to clean your room on a weekly basis. Cleaning includes, but is not limited to, removing all personal items from the floor, vacuuming floors [including under the bed, desk, armoire, etc.], rugs, dusting furniture and emptying trash. You will be expected to empty your bedroom trash on a weekly basis at minimum to the appropriate outside trash containers.

NO OPEN FOOD MAY BE KEPT IN THE BEDROOMS because it can attract flies and sometimes even unwanted crawly critters. Food odors can also be unappealing to other guests and will create “stinky“ trash. Food containers must be deposited in the appropriate outside trash containers after each meal.

You will be expected, on your day of departure, to leave your bedroom as clean as it was on the day you arrived. A vacuum, dry mop, and broom/vac are available for you to clean your bedroom floor, as well as furniture polish for dusting.

Music, TV and telephone conversations must be kept at an acceptable level and should not disturb anyone’s quiet. NO EXCESSIVE NOISE AFTER 10PM WILL BE ALLOWED or tolerated. Use of the printer will be kept at a minimum after 10PM, so please plan accordingly.

Prior approval is required for all visitors. No overnight guests allowed.

You will be expected to clean up after yourself. I am not your mother or your maid! If you use the kitchen to prepare a meal or snack, you are expected to clean-up after yourself, putting all food items away, clearing and rinsing eating utensils and dishes to the sink. If you have used pots or pans, please wash these as they will not fit in the dishwasher. Wipe the table and countertop, making sure that ALL spills and stickiness have been cleaned. Push in your chair, close cupboard doors and drawers. Leave things the way that you found them.

Snack items are a common find in our kitchen. These items are for my daughter’s school lunches and she consumes these on a regular basis, whether it is on a school day, before/after sports, the gym, etc. PLEASE, these are not purchased for your consumption. If you feel you need snacks, please purchase them for yourself. I will be happy to provide an area where you may keep your food.

Your use of our electronics, such as printer, TV, DVD/VCR, stereo, etc. is a privilege! Please ask before you use these items and we will be happy to give you a quick lesson on the proper operation.

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ABSOLUTELY no illegal activities, including but not limited to, the sale, purchase or use of any illegal or recreational drugs.

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