Here are some general rules, tips, and expectations to help you become accustomed to your new home!
Homestay
Each homestay will include the following:
- breakfast and dinner every day (Even on weekends! #moneysaver)
- a set of keys to the apartment to come and go as you please
- blankets, pillows, and sheets
- communal living space or kitchen with a table and chairs
- shared bathrooms which include toilet and bathing area
- two meals per day: Breakfast and dinner
- laundry service once a week
Homestays are a great option! And through our Madrid program you can “meet” a homestay through a video introduction to see if they are right for you!
Students must abide by the Homestay rules.
Apartments
Fully equipped shared living spaces that students may live in jointly with other international students. Students who choose to live in an apartment do not get meals included, but have kitchen and cooking facilities.
Each apartment will have the following:
- blankets and pillows*
- fully equipped kitchen with a stove-top range, refrigerator and sink
- communal living space or kitchen with a table and chairs
- shared bathroom which includes a toilet and a bathing area
*Students will purchase their own bed sheets and towels upon arrival for sanitary reasons. Onsite staff will guide you to the most affordable places where you can get full set of sheets and towels for about 25 €.
Please note that although CISabroad makes every effort to provide your preferred form of housing, we cannot guarantee that all personal preferences are met. We have carefully selected safe and adequate housing for each student and each living arrangement is distinct and special in its own way.
Every housing placement is different with different pros and cons. Your accommodations will be different than what you’ve come to expect in your home country. In general, be prepared for a relatively small living space in an older building with very basic amenities. Now is the time to open your mind and get ready to experience something different; this attitude is in the spirit of your decision to study abroad. Please also remember, that when you are abroad, you will be representing your home institution and your home country; behave appropriately.
There are no housing changes allowed during the first 2 weeks of the program. There is a natural adjustment period to life abroad and making any housing change decisions during this time is usually premature.
Cleanliness:
Keep your room and the common areas clean; this is especially important when you are sharing a bedroom, apartment, residence, or dormitory.
Noise:
In order to avoid disturbing the neighbors or housemates, please use headphones when listening to music, or keep the volume low, and please keep your voices down.
Utilities and use:
- Heating and air conditioning should be used sparingly. NEVER leave heating or air conditioning units on while you are not home. If you must have them on when you are sleeping, keep them low.
- Always turn off the lights when you leave the apartment and when you are not in the room.
Safety:
- You should lock the apartment door at all times. Also, when leaving the apartment, make sure the windows are closed and locked. CISabroad or the housing company will not be responsible for any stolen items.
- If the keys to the apartment are stolen, lost or misplaced, all locks to the apartment will have to be replaced at the student’s expense, including key copies for all apartment members.
- If the keys are left inside the apartment/bedroom and the locksmith has to open the door for you, you will have to pay for this service.
- It is strictly forbidden to throw any object or substance from windows, balconies, terraces, or roofs. This includes keys, cigarette butts, or anything else big or small.
Guests and Alcohol Policies:
- No overnight guests allowed
- Disrespectful behavior related to alcohol consumption will end up in dismissal from the housing and you will have to find your own housing at your own expense.
- Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the apartment.
- The consumption of drugs, as well as keeping or dealing them, is absolutely prohibited
Financial Liability:
- You will have to pay for any damage done to the apartment (doors, walls, floors, furniture, kitchen supplies, washing machine, etc.).
- If extra time is needed to clean the apartment, or if items are damaged or missing, you will be charged and those charges will be deducted from your housing deposit. Housing deposits will be returned 8-12 weeks after the program has ended
Helpful tips for living with other people:
- Respect your hosts and the other people that live in the building.
- Remember that you are not on a college campus and not in your own home. Respect the property and get out of the “college campus” mentality.
- Talk to your roommates if they do something that bothers you. Talking it through is the easiest way to solve a small problem before it gets bigger.
- Talk to the staff if a problem arises and you cannot work it out with your roommates.
Warning process:
- If any of the above rules are broken, you will receive a verbal warning. This warning will also be written and sent to your home school.
- The second infraction of any of the above rules will result in you being evicted from your apartment. You will need to find a new place to live at your own expense.
- Please read through all of our behavior policies noted in the CISabroad Policy Handbook, linked inside of the attachment to your acceptance email
FAQs
I am arriving early, can I move into my housing before the specified move‐in date?
No. Due to liability issues, the specified arrival date is the earliest you can move in. If you arrive early, you should arrange for your own accommodation until the official program starting date.
Can I contact my roommates before I arrive?
Due to privacy concerns, we cannot release the names of your roommates before the program begins. However, the best way to find out who you will be living with is to join the CISabroad Spain Facebook page, and post on the wall to see who might be living with you!
Does the apartment have sheets and towels?
If you are staying in an apartment, you will probably have to purchase your own sheets and towels upon arrival for sanitary reasons. Onsite staff will guide you to affordable places where you can get full set of sheets and towels for about 25€ Sometimes apartments have sheets and towels that past students left and you can use those if you’d like to.
If you are staying in a homestay, your señora will give you sheets and towels.