Homestay

Living with a local family is a great way for you to experience life in Australia and practise your spoken English. All of our homestays have been specially chosen to ensure that you're provided with a safe and supportive home environment.

This is a fantastic opportunity to live like a local and have an authentic Australian lifestyle experience. For further information on Homestay please contact accommodation@utscollege.edu.au

Why choose a homestay?

• It's the perfect way to make new friends - many of our Homestay students stay in touch with their Australian host families long after they leave.
• If you're learning English – it's a great way to practice your language skills every day in a fun, relaxed home environment.
• Homestay students can experience what it's really like living with an Australian family. You can learn all about their family life and values, interact with people of different ages and share their culture and interests.
• It's ideal for students who are under 18 years of age – so you have a family to look out for you while you're here.

For further information please see the UTS College Homestay Policy and the UTS College Homestay Procedure.

Homestays provide a clean and comfortable room with a desk, cupboard, bed and a lamp for study. Breakfast and dinner will be provided Monday to Friday, with breakfast, lunch and dinner on the weekend if you are at home. Breakfast is self-serve and generally consists of coffee, tea, milk, juice, toast, spreads, cereal and fruit. Your host will show you where the food is stored and how to prepare it.

Homestay families are widely distributed around Sydney and the travel time to the campus may be up to 60 minutes. UTS College is very close to Central Station. Most Homestays will have an internet connection. If you want your own line we suggest you arrange wireless broadband and manage the account yourself.

Our Homestay families reflect the multicultural nature of Australian society so they come from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. If you would like to be placed with a family of a specific heritage, we can try to accommodate this request however, UTS College cannot guarantee this.

If you are over 18 years of age, your Homestay will be inspected each year. If you are under 18 years of age, your Homestay will be inspected every 6 months until you turn 18 years of age.

Homestay hosts are responsible for the welfare of students who are under 18 years of age and staying with them. The UTS College Accommodation Team will visit the home every 6 months, until a student turns 18. This is to follow up on a students’ wellbeing and to obtain feedback on their host and their general experience with their Homestay.

If you are under 18 years, you must comply with homestay rules, guidelines, regulations and legislation. Your curfew is 10pm Monday - Sundays, unless alternate arrangements have been agreed to with the UTS College Accommodation team.

If you are under 18, you cannot sleep at another person's house or travel in Australia. If your parents are visiting and you wish to stay with your mother or father, you can apply to the student accommodation team for a short stay with parents. If you defer, suspend or cancel your enrolment, the Department of Home Affairs must be advised.

All students agree to our Homestay Terms and Conditions.

Note, all homestay hosts and other residents over 18, must hold a current Working with Children Check clearance.

You can book into a Homestay with the UTS College Accommodation Team. They will book you in for a five week period, from your day of arrival. The Accommodation Team must receive your flight details and Homestay requests at least two weeks prior to your arrival. Otherwise a Homestay placement cannot be guaranteed.

Note that if your parents or other family members accompany you to Sydney, they cannot stay in the Homestay. We suggest that they book a hotel while in Sydney.

If you are an international student under 18 and want to live with a relative or close family friend who is an Australian resident, your relative or friend will need to apply to live with a Special Host under UTS College Homestay arrangements.

Request for Special Host Arrangements Form.

For students requesting a Special Host arrangement please refer to the Special Host Terms and Conditions for Students/Parents and Legal Guardians. For all nominated Special Hosts please refer to the Code of Conduct for Special Hosts.

The UTS College Homestay Terms and Conditions govern your participation in the Homestay arrangement. It is important that you and your parents/legal guardians understand and agree to these terms and conditions. The UTS College Student Accommodation Team reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time.

Your Homestay provider will send accommodation details and airport pick up confirmations approximately two weeks after admission, but only if full payment and Homestay preferences have been received.>

If you are an international student under 18 years of age you must have UTS College accommodation and welfare arrangements made before arriving in Sydney. You will also need UTS College approved airport transport or have made alternative arrangements approved by UTS College. UTS Direct students must use the UTS College Airport Welcome service.

If you wish to use your own preferred transport for subsequent airport transfers, you will need to submit a Request to Waive UTS College Approved Transport form to the Accommodation Team at accommodation@utscollege.edu.au.

In order to make your Homestay more enjoyable, please remember:

• Abide by the rules of the family,
• Be considerate and respectful towards the family and keep noise to a minimum after 8.30pm,
• Allow the family to help you clean your room once a week,
• Ask for permission before inviting friends to the Homestay,
• Offer to help the family with light household duties,
• Inform the family if you will be late for dinner,
• Pay for any damage done to the family’s property,
• Secure all valuables, money, passport and airline tickets in a safe place. Do not keep large amounts of cash,
• Spend no longer than 10 minutes in the bathroom when showering and leave the bathroom tidy,
• Do not use the telephone between 10pm and 7am,
• Pay for all telephone calls made on the family’s telephone before moving out of the Homestay,
• Complete any homework tasks,
• Remain in your UTS College approved Homestay until a move is approved,
• Smoking and consumption of alcohol in the house is not permitted,
• All payments for Homestay must be made at the UTS College Student Centre.

If you wish to extend your stay with your Homestay family, you should notify the Student Centre and advise the Accommodation Team via email at accommodation@utscollege.edu.au. You will need to make your payment at least 2 weeks before the end of the booking period. If you are moving out of the Homestay you must notify UTS College of your change of address. If you are under 18 years of age, you must live with a UTS College approved family or at Urbanest until you turn 18.

Moving to a different family or location

If you wish to change your Homestay family, you will need to advise the Accommodation Team and make your payment at least 2 weeks before the end of your current booking period.

The initial Homestay booking is five weeks and non-refundable. If you have problems with your Homestay, you can discuss this with the Accommodation Team located in the Student Centre or alternatively email accommodation@utscollege.edu.au. They will help resolve the issue or, subject to availability, move you to another Homestay.

Please refer to the UTS Statement of Protocol on Fees and Refunds. If you want to move out, you are required to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice in writing to the Homestay provider and UTS College. Students under 18 must get written approval from the Accommodation Team prior to moving out. If you move out without adequate notice, you will be required to pay two weeks’ Homestay fees in lieu of notice.

Moving out

If you want to move out, you are required to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice in writing to the Homestay provider and UTS College. Students under 18 must get written approval from the UTS College Accommodation Team prior to moving out. If you move out without adequate notice, you will be required to pay two weeks’ Homestay fees in lieu of notice. If you are moving out of the Homestay you must notify UTS College of your change of address.

Taking a holiday

We all need a holiday every now and then however, you must discuss with the Student Accommodation Team and/or Homestay provider if you wish to travel during recognised holiday periods. Leave applications must be confirmed by a UTS Student Adviser. Written permission from your parent/legal guardian will be required, as well as a copy of your flight itinerary. If you wish to keep your room while on holiday, you are required to pay half the normal Homestay fee to hold the room. The rate is applicable for a minimum of a one week holiday.

If you would like to return to your home country for a holiday you need to complete  a Homestay Holiday Application form and submit the completed form two weeks prior to leaving Australia to: accommodation@utscollege.edu.au. Instructions are contained in the form.

If you are wanting a holiday within Australia with parents/family members you will need to complete a Short Stay Application form and submit no later than two weeks prior to the start date.  Instructions are contained in the form and please email completed form to: accommodation@utscollege.edu.au.

If you are an international student, you need to keep UTS College advised of any change to address, personal email or telephone numbers via eStudent within 7 days of any change. This is a condition of your student visa and if you don’t update tour contact details within 7 days, your visa could be cancelled.

Homestay hosts are bound by a Code of Conduct. UTS College takes any complaint of mistreatment by a Homestay host very seriously and will investigate immediately.

If you feel that your host has mistreated you, please contact the UTS College accommodation team as soon as possible. We are located in the Student Centre Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm Ground floor of the Blue Building on 187 Thomas Street, Haymarket. From Semester 3, 2022, the Student Centre will be located at our new campus in Level 1, Block C, UTS Building 5 at 1-59 Quay Street, Haymarket. Find out more. 

An appointment is not required. However, if you wish you make an appointment you can request one via email.

Alternatively, you can email accommodation@utscollege.edu.au or call (+61 2) 9056 4354.