Homestay Beijing 2008

Frequently Asked Questions

by people who want to rent available homestay

by people who want to (sub)let their accommodation in Beijing

*** IMPORTANT CHANGES EFFECTIVE PER AUGUST 5, 2007 ***
All the information below is also described in our Terms & Conditions, which you accept by making use of the services Homestay Beijing 2008 offers.

FAQs by people who want to rent available homestay.

1. How do I know which homestay accommodations are available?
2. How do I make a reservation?
3. How do I pay?
4. Do I have to pay a deposit?
5. How do I get the keys for the homestay accommodation?
6. What do I have to take with me?
7. Are the homestays child friendly?
8. When is check in and check out?
9. Do I have to clean the apartment?
10. What happens if I cancel my reservation?
11. What do I do in case of an emergency?
12. Can Homestay Beijing 2008 also provide other services?

1. How do I know which homestay accommodations are available?

On the Homestay Beijing 2008 website we offer a number of ways of searching for available homestay accommodation. You can take a look at the Map of Beijing, choose your district and take a look at the detailed map of that district where the homestay accommodations are located.
You can also go directly to the Directory and click on the district of your choice. You will then see an overview with the available homestays. In the right column of each page, you can see a search box. Fill in the number of people with which you plan to visit and you will find a list with the available apartments.

2. How do I make a reservation?

That is easy.
If you have read all the information available on the Homestay Beijing 2008 website and agree to our terms and conditions, you can fill in the contact form that is available via the Rent Homestay page.
The reservation will be confirmed via email and you will be asked to confirm your booking by paying a booking fee. Once we have received this booking fee your reservation is confirmed.

3. How do I pay?

Both booking fee and rent need to be paid via bank transfer.
The rent needs to be paid in two phases: the first half needs to be received upon booking and the second half needs to be received into our bank account no later that 30 days before your arrival in Beijing. Bank transfer costs are for your own account. We will arrange the transfer of the rent to your landlord.

4. Do I have to pay a deposit?

Yes, upon arrival the landlord of your homestay accommodation will ask you to pay a deposit. This deposit can be paid in USD or in EUR and you will receive it back at the end of your stay. That is of course if you leave your homestay accommodation in the same state as when you arrived.

5. How do I get the keys for the homestay accommodation?

After we have received the 2nd installment of the rental we will send you the address of your homestay in English, pinyin and Chinese characters. We will also include instructions on how to get to your homestay by taxi and/or public transport. We will have informed your landlord with your approximate time of arrival, so he/she will be present at that time and all further arrangements you make directly with your landlord. If the landlord is not available, arrangements will be made through us.

6. What do I have to take with me?

Normally linen and towels are provided. Homestay is not a hotel however, so you are expected to bring things like soap yourself. You can also make use of the kitchen, but of course you have to buy things you want to eat yourself.

7. Are the homestays child friendly?

Some are and some are not. You can find that information in the profile of the homestay accommodation.

8. When is check in and check out?

The check in and check out time depends largely on your flight schedule. If the landlord requires specific time slots, we will inform you about that upon booking.

9. Do I have to clean the apartment?

You arrive in a clean homestay. Although the landlord will take care of cleaning afterwards, you are expected not to leave a mess behind.

10. What happens if I cancel my reservation?

If you cancel your reservation, we will not return the booking fee and/or any of the advance rent payments. If you want to make a new reservation, in some cases you can re-use (part of) the paid booking fee. Advance rent payments will go to the landlords, so cannot be re-used.

11. What do I do in case of an emergency?

In case of an emergency, please contact us as soon as possible at the number provided upon booking confirmation.

12. Can Homestay Beijing 2008 also provide other services?

Yes, for example for group bookings Homestay Beijing 2008 can arrange group transport. Western breakfast is also one of the services we provide for group bookings. And with our partner company Beijing Day Trips, we will also be able to take you on a day trip to see for example the Great Wall. If you would like any of these additional services, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

FAQs by people who want to (sub)let their accommodation in Beijing

1. How can I make my home available for homestay?
2. I am renting accommodation in Beijing and in my contract it says I cannot sublet, can I make my home available for homestay?
3. Do I have to pay anything to Homestay Beijing 2008?
4. I want to make my home available for homestay, but I will not be in Beijing. How to arrange this?
5. When do I receive the rent?
6. How can I make sure that the tenant doesn't have access to all my valuables?
7. How can I be sure that the tenant doesn't 'trash' my home?
8. Do I have to supply linnen and towels and clean my home?
9. When is check in and check out?
10. What happens if a tenant cancels his/her reservation?
11. What happens if I cancel the booking?
12. What do I do in case of an emergency?

1. How can I make my home available for homestay?

That is easy.
If you have read all the information available on the Homestay Beijing 2008 website and agree to our terms and conditions, you can fill in the contact form that is available via the Sublet page.
We will then contact you to make an appointment for an interview. During the interview we will take pictures and ask some questions.
From all the information gathered during the interview we will compile an online profile of your homestay.

2. I am renting accommodation in Beijing and in my contract it says I cannot sublet, can I make my home available for homestay?

The short answer: Yes, you can.
The longer answer: In the past you probably already had friends or family stay at your place. Did you tell your landlord about that? The answer is probably "no". Well, for 2008 you also have "friends" staying over, the only difference is that they pay... Of course if your contract explicitely says that you cannot sublet, it is your choice, risk and responsibility to sublet.

3. Do I have to pay anything to Homestay Beijing 2008?

Yes, to list a profile incl. pictures of your home, we ask you for a small fee to be paid during the interview. Upon booking of your home we also charge you a commitment fee of 1 day's rent minus the earlier paid profile fee, to ensure you are serious about your commitment to Homestay Beijing 2008 and your tenant.
However, we will return this fee to you after your tenants arrive in Beijing.

4. I want to make my home available for homestay, but I will not be in Beijing. How to arrange this?

No problem. For a small extra service fee, we will take care of everything. You just bring us they keys before you leave Beijing and we will arrange the rest.

5. When do I receive the rent?

In the first few days after your tenants have arrived in Beijing we will transfer your rent plus the one days's commitment fee to your bank account. Bank tranfer costs will be deducted.

6. How can I make sure that the tenant doesn't have access to all my valuables?

You will receive a roll of tape marked with the Homestay Beijing 2008 logo to seal off cabinets or doors to make them not accessible. You will also both sign a checklist (supplied by Homestay Beijing 2008) and the tenant will pay you a deposit in USD or EUR. Of course you will refund the entire deposit if the tenant leaves your home in the same state as upon arrival.

7. How can I be sure that the tenant doesn't 'trash' my home?

Beijing, unlike cities like Sydney, Athens or Barcelona, is not known in the world as a party town. Most visitors have never been to China and would probably not come if not for the Olympics. The trip to Beijing as well as the accommodation is not cheap and therefore the people that are coming are serious Olympic fans. Most people where we receive bookings from are either families with teenager or grown up kids and groups of friends aged from 35 upwards, responsible people with a career and own property in their home countries.

8. Do I have to supply linen and towels and clean my home?

Yes, please.
Your tenant expects the apartment to be clean and supplied with fresh linen and towels. We can imagine that it can be quite a bit of work for you or your ayi to clean your entire home both before and after the stay of your tenants, therefore we have started a cooperation with EZ Pro Cleaning, a company that offers deep cleaning among other cleaning services. EZ Pro Cleaning will put together a pre/post homestay cleaning package especially for landlords of Homestay Beijing 2008.

9. When is check in and check out?

The check in and check out time depends largely on the flight schedule of the tenant. If you require specific time slots, you can inform us during the interview.

10. What happens if a tenant cancels his/her reservation?

If a tenant cancels, we will let you know as soon as possible. However we have tried to keep the chance of cancelling as small as possible by charging the tenant an upfront booking fee and letting them pay half of the rent before the end of 2007. Only when the booking fee is paid, the booking at your home is confirmed. If tenant cancels you will receive the advance rent payment(s) and we will assist you to find another tenant.

11. What happens if I cancel the booking?

The moment we have found a tenant and you have agreed to that, you cannot cancel your booking with us. Only if you can offer us similar accommodation as your own for the same price (or lower), we can accept you to cancel the booking and we need to know as soon as possible. We will not return the paid profile/commitment fee, also not if you receive another booking afterwards. If you decide to cancel anyways, we will have to take legal action against you.

12. What do I do in case of an emergency?

In case of an emergency, please contact us as soon as possible at the number provided during the interview.