Mama Linda’s Homestay:
The Rules

The Basics: Be considerate of others.
Be respectful of others’ privacy.
Be respectful of others’ property.
Be honest.

The Common Areas

This is your home during your stay. The common areas are the Living Room, including the Television, Stereo and the Computer, Dining Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, Front Closet and Hallways, including the bookshelves. Please make yourself comfortable, but when you leave the room, please leave the room as you found it. Tidy up after yourself.

The Private Areas

Your bedroom is your private space. The cleaning lady will enter your room on alternate Thursdays to dust and vacuum. I will not enter your room unless there is an emergency involving the police, fire department, or the hospital.

My bedroom is my private space. You will not enter my room unless there is an emergency involving the police, fire department, or the hospital.

Housekeeping and Laundry

A cleaning lady comes on alternate Thursdays to dust and vacuum and do general cleaning. Please note that she is not required to tidy up after us and will clean around any untidiness she finds. If this arrangement is inadequate to maintain cleanliness, let me know, and I will adjust the arrangement.

You are responsible for doing your own laundry. I will provide coins and detergent to a maximum of four loads - one load of bed and bath linens, one load of “whites”, one load of “darks” and one load of “colours” per week.

Meals

I am very happy to cook for you, but:
If you don’t plan to eat a meal, please let me know in advance, so that I don’t prepare it.
If there is any particular food you don’t like, please tell me so that I don’t cook it for you.
If there is any particular food you like very much, please tell me, so that - as long as I know how - I can prepare it for you. If I don’t know how, perhaps you would teach me.

If you would like to prepare a meal or a snack yourself:
Please feel free to use the kitchen and all its contents.
If you prepare a meal or a snack for yourself, please do not leave dirty dishes in the sink. (There is an automatic dishwasher, but it doesn’t fill itself!)

If you use the last of anything, whether milk or laundry detergent, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can buy some more.

Comings and Goings

Please call and tell me:
if you are going to be late for dinner. I will make sure that dinner is ready for you when you arrive.
if you decide to have dinner elsewhere.
if you are going to bring friends home with you.

Please let me know in advance if you plan to go away for an overnight stay. I will let you know in advance if I plan any overnight travel. I will not take any overnight trips away from you if you are a Junior student.

When you enter the apartment, please remove your shoes. You may choose whether you wear slippers or to go barefoot. This rule is included because slippers and bare feet are quiet on the hardwood floors.

The Telephone

You are welcome to use the telephone. There is a telephone in your room for your use, but you may also use the portable phone. Please be sure to return the portable handset to its base.
Incoming calls are not allowed between 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. unless there is an emergency involving the police, fire department, or the hospital.
All long distance calls you make must be charged to your calling card.

The Cats

The cats may think they are the kings of the household, but they do not have a right to enter your bedroom without being invited.
Please remember that cats have claws. Don’t give them the opportunity to use them.
Be warned - one cat enjoys chewing on cord-like items, for example, shoelaces and drawstrings. The other cat enjoys chewing on plastic and cellophane.
When you are not at home, please be sure to close your bedroom door so the cats don’t enter your room.
Please be sure that no window is ever opened wide enough for the cats to escape. They are very curious, but they are not familiar with the outside world, and may not survive such an adventure.
If you are uncomfortable living with cats, please be honest and tell me. We should find you a more suitable and more comfortable homestay.

Activities

There are many interesting places to visit in and around Vancouver. I am very pleased to be able to visit these places with you. Most weekends will involve at least one outing of this sort. We will plan these outings together to be sure that you see everything that interests you. If there is something you would be interested in doing or a place you’d like to visit, please tell me about it so that we can plan for it.

Security and Safety

Do not admit anybody into the building, or into the apartment, unless you know them personally. Never leave any windows unlocked when you are not at home.
Never leave your windows unlocked when you are asleep. One window in each room has a chain lock – use that lock if you need to leave a window open at night. Never give your keys to anyone else for any reason. If you lose your keys, let me know and I will give you a replacement set. Do not attach our address to your keys. If you lose your keys and believe that the finder may have a way to discover our address, please tell me immediately so we can have the locks changed.

Smoking

Smoking is absolutely not permitted anywhere inside the apartment.