Students receive room and board according to the habits and traditions of our family. Students are responsible for preparing their own breakfast. It is not guaranteed that a specific type of food will be served, or that there will be a specific schedule for meals. We serve dinner around 6:00 pm. Dinner typically involves all members of the family, and the student's participation will be greatly beneficial to their experience. When a student decides to stay away from our home, students are responsible for their own meals.
Students are expected to clean up after themselves in the kitchen and common areas and to clean their own bedrooms and bathrooms.
We will show you how to use the bus; however, transportation is the students’ responsibility. Students in Lawson's Homestay must commit to the placement for the entire program session and are required to complete and sign a Homestay Contract with our family. This contract details the expectations between the student and our family.
1. Students must respect and obey the host family’s household rules.
2. Students may not bring guests to the Host Family’s home. We understand that students who come here may have friends who they meet here, however, if you wish to meet up with your friends please do so at a location other than our home. We want to keep our home as safe as possible. Students may not give out our personal information without our consent. This includes our home address and personal phone numbers.
3. It is illegal in California to consume any alcohol, including beer and wine, if you are less than 21-years-old. Drug use, other than medication prescribed by your physician, is strictly forbidden. We do not allow any alcohol, marijuana, or drug use in our home.
4. Long distance telephone calls are made at the student’s expense either by pre-paid telephone card or by collect call. We suggest that students use cell phones to make calls. Students from Europe can purchase a Sem-Card for international minutes or purchase a new cell phone in Los Angeles.
5. If a student breaks or destroys any property that does not belong to them they are 100% responsible for replacing or paying for the monetary worth of the item or items prior to leaving our home.
6. Since this is a homestay agreement and not a rental or lease agreement the student waves all legal rights for any kind of recourse to the termination and physical removal of their possessions and themselves from the property owned by Lawson's Homestay. All students please note that if your fees are not paid on time the student will automatically terminate their stay at Lawson's Homestay, and the student will have to leave Lawson's Home Immediately.
7. Smoking is permitted outside of our home ONLY.
8. If the student buys or sells drugs or is in any way determined to be involved with illegal drugs or other illegal substances during her stay with our family, these students stay will be terminated immediately, and any fees paid to Lawson's Homestay will NOT be refunded. This includes providing students under the age of 21 with alcohol.
9. Music in our home may be played at a reasonable level but under no circumstances should the level of music disturb our family or other students in our homestay. Students should not talk so loud that it disturbs our family or the other students in our home.
10. Students must be dressed appropriately, and carry themselves appropriately at all times while in our home. We suggest that ladies wear bathrobes to and from the restroom. Students, please clean up after yourself in the restroom area. Please keep in mind we may have three young ladies sharing one restroom at any given time.
11. Upon final departure, the student agrees to leave her room as neat and clean as it was upon arrival. If the room is not clean the student will be charged a $25 cleaning fee. Meaning all of the bedding must be washed, the room must be swept and mopped, the restroom must be cleaned prior to your departure.
12. Students are responsible for cleaning their own room unless the student has paid the $10 dollar daily rate to have their room cleaned. Students must clean the restroom area once a week. Students are encouraged to clean their bedding once a week. Students must wash dishes after they eat and clean up any area used by them at all times. All bedding must be cleaned prior to departure. We charge a $25 cleaning deposit that will be refunded upon departure.
13. No student under the age of 18 will be allowed to go out after 9 pm. If a student is invited to a party it is the host family’s choice to allow a student to attend or not to attend a particular party or social function. There are many areas in Los Angles that are not safe for children this is why we have this rule and or policy. We will base our decision on the safety and well being of the student. We advise students and guest who are under the age of 18 to be home by 9:00 pm nightly if it is a school night you are required to be home by 7:00 pm nightly. Any student or guest who violates this rule or policy may be terminated or asked to leave at the expense of their parents.
14. We understand that guests come to Los Angeles for many events and nightlife experiences. Guest 18 and older are allowed to stay out as late as they wish. We do however require you to phone us around 8:00 pm to inform us if you will be in by midnight or later. We do not give out keys to our home. We are generally home all the time. If you will be later than midnight you will need to make sure that you are in a safe environment, we are not responsible for things safety issues that occur outside of our home. We do however advise our guest and students to use their better judgment and to come home at a reasonable time as to avoid any safety problems or issues. A reasonable time is by 10:00 pm.
15. If a high school student is absent more than 6 days from school the student will be in breach of their I-20 and will be immediately sent back to their country. The student will not receive a homestay refund, nor will the student receive any tuition refund.
16. All high school students must maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average and all B's on all report cards including all progress report cards.
17. No high school student will be allowed to sleep over at a friend’s house. (No Exceptions)
18. If a parent wishes to visit we ask that the parent or parents give us a 5-day notice. Parents, please understand that while you are visiting, your child must still attend school.
19. All high school students are required to have their own health insurance while they are living with us. We are not responsible for providing any type of medical or health insurance. If a child becomes ill or injured it is the child's parent’s responsibility to pay all debts incurred due to the injury or illness. Lawson's homestay is not liable for any cost related to an illness or injury.
20. If a student does not like their school, we will make every attempt to find another school. If we cannot find another school, the student can stay at the school or return home. In most cases, the student will not be given a homestay refund. The student may, however, receive a tuition refund.
21. All high school students are expected to stay with their assigned host family the entire duration of the agreed school term. If a student wishes to leave, there will not be a refund issued for homestay fees, nor will there be a refund issued for school tuition (No Exceptions) If the student wishes to return home, the high school student will need to return home within five days of their request and all cost associated will be at the expense of the student’s legal parents.
22. All high school students are expected act appropriately at all times, we expect to see our students only engaging in behavior that is moral and ethically correct as deemed by our company. Any behavior contrary to this behavior will be automatic grounds for immediate termination and removal from the host family’s home and our high school program. We do not issue homestay or school tuition refunds. All fees for the student to return home will be the sole burden of the student’s legal parents. No parent or student has the legal right to sue in any court of law Lawson's Homestay or The High School Program affiliated with Anura Lawson.
The decision to live with our family should be made with the understanding that a successful homestay experience requires the student’s willingness to adjust to the customs and traditions of an American family.
We feel that our family represents many ethnic groups and cultural groups. We at Lawson's Homestay will provide you the student with a safe, clean, comfortable living environment, and speak English to you and around you for the duration of your stay with our family.
Our family represents the diverse cultural heritage of the United States. We understand that sometimes difficulties may arise we strongly encourage students to talk directly to us their host parents about any problems they may be experiencing.
(Does Not Apply To High School Students) Students and guest who may wish to terminate their stay must give Lawson's Homestay a 30-day notice, or pay a fee equal to 30 days rent. If the host terminates the homestay prior to the anticipated last date of occupancy, the host will refund pro-rated amounts paid in advance.
We do not give refunds to any guest or student who wishes to terminate their stay without a 30 day written notice. We want all guest and students to understand that we turn other students and guest away based on your request to stay with our family.
We ask that students pay for their homestay prior to arrival. This can be as early as 30 days and as close to your arrival date as one day prior to arrival as long as your payment is secured through PAY PAL.
Lawson's Homestay shall not be responsible or liable to a student in any way for damages to personal property or injury as a result of the Student's stay. Failure to comply with the above agreement will result in an immediate termination of your stay.
I have read and understood the Homestay Agreement and agree to be fully bound by the terms, conditions, rules, and regulations as outlined in this legal document.
If you are under the age of 18 your parent must sign and agree to the terms above. Your parent must also give us the following emergency information:
Parents First and Last Name:
Home address in your country:
Home Phone Number in your country:
Cell Phone Number for your parents in your country:
Email address of the parents and student:
Health Care Provider/Medical Insurance in the USA:
Student Name: ___________________________________
Student Signature :_________________________________________________
Date: ________________
Parent Name: _________________________________________
Parent Signature:___________________________________________
Date:_________________
Parent Name: _____________________________________
Parent Signature: __________________________________________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Notarized by:_________________________________________________
Signature of Notary: ___________________________________________
Date Notarized: _______________________________________________
Notary Seal or Stamp