Safety & Rules

Safety

Safe location: the Student Home is located in a safe residential area near downtown. There are mostly expensive, single-family houses in the neighborhood, occupied by families.

Locks: the door to each bedroom has its own lock and students have their own keys. The doors to the house are locked and the students have keys.

Male - Female separation: the Student Home is divided into male and female areas. The female section has its own entrance door, its own additional living room and a door between the male and female sections so that the girls can enjoy their privacy.

Motion detector lights: we use several motion detector lights around the outside of the building to provide students with light as needed and to deter intruders.

24-Hour helpline: we have a toll-free helpline that all residents at the San Rafael Student Home can call 24 hours a day if they need any help.

On-site assistants and House Manager: on-site assistants and a friendly house manager assist the students and help prevent any problems from occurring.

House Rules

There is an orientation at the time of arrival during which the house rules are explained to all students. After the explanation, each student is asked to agree (in writing) to follow the house rules during their stay at the Student Home. Any student who doesn't agree to follow the house rules cannot stay at the Student Home. Any student who violates the house rules may – in severe cases – be expelled from the Student Home to ensure the safety and harmony of all other students.

Some important House Rules:

no smoking indoors

quiet hours from 22:00 until 7:00

guests are only allowed during the day

cleanliness: students must keep the house clean

Please also see our additional terms and conditions

1. Assistance

Please contact the Student Assistants or the Manager anytime if there is a problem or if you need help. The Student Assistants and the Manager are there to help you. They are also there to make sure that you follow the house rules.  You must follow the instructions of the Student Assistants and the Manager.

Student Assistants

The names and room numbers of the Student Assistants are posted on the white board in the kitchen.

Manager

The Student Home Manager is Gustavo.
Phone and email: see white board in the kitchen.

2. Living together

You are living at the Student Home with the other residents like in a large family. Everybody shares the student residence, and everybody has the same rights and responsibilities.

Be nice to other residents

You need to be considerate of the other residents and treat them nicely and with respect.

Sharing

Please remember that you are not alone! You have to share the house with the other residents.

If you have a roommate, share your room and closet equally.

The common rooms are for everybody. Please be considerate when using the bathroom, the kitchen, the recreation room, the TV, etc.

Local phone and WiFi Internet are free and for all residents to share. Please consider others and don't make long phone calls or download large files (music, movies, etc).

Save energy!

Please help save energy and fight global warming! Always turn off the lights and the heater when you leave.

Female-only area

The Student Home has a separate area that is for female students only. Male students are only allowed to enter the female area if permitted by all the females.

Use your assigned bathroom only

Each bedroom has an assigned bathroom. You are only allowed to use your assigned bathroom.

Household items

We do not provide household items like toilet paper, soap, detergents, paper towels, etc. We suggest you share this responsibility with the other residents.

Don't be noisy

Always be considerate of other students and of your neighbors, and do not disturb them at any time. This includes: keep TV and stereo/radio volume low, don't yell or scream, don't play ball against the fence, don't have loud parties.

Quiet Time

22:00 until 7:00 is Quiet Time. During this time you must keep the volume down and speak quietly:

Be sure that those students who want to sleep or who want to study cannot hear you.

Be sure that the neighbors cannot hear you. In California, neighbors often call the police if they feel disturbed. If the police come, you might have to pay an expensive fine (many hundred dollars or more) and you might have to appear in court; you might even have to move out of the Student Home.

Parking

We have a parking lot at the side of the Student Home and parking spaces at the front for you.

Register your car with a student assistant or the manager.

Any car parked at the Student Home without parking permit issued by a student assistant or the manager may be towed at their owner's expense.

Never park at the private property behind the student residence. Any car parked there may be towed at their owner's expense.

Room assignment

Do not change rooms without permission – even if other rooms are empty. If you want to change rooms, please contact the Student Home manager.

3. Decorations and modifications

You can decorate your own room if you don't cause damages. You must remove all decorations when you move out.

Don't put signs up on the outside.

Do not change door locks.

Don't make any modifications to the building.

4. Keep the house clean

All students must keep the student residence clean (inside and outside) at all times! Please use our vacuum cleaner and the cleaning supplies.

We have a cleaning service but YOU are responsible to clean up after YOURSELF. Our cleaning service is for normal cleaning only - not to clean up your mess. Your responsibilities are:

Your room

You must keep your room clean and orderly, especially if you have a roommate.

Food

Write your name on all your food. Food that doesn't clearly show a name might be thrown into the garbage.

Remove your old food from the refrigerators and shelves.

Cooking

Clean the cook top, kitchen equipment, and utensils immediately after use.

Eating and drinking

Don't leave bottles and dishes lying around.

Don't leave food leftovers and garbage (for example, McDonald's bags, candy wrappers, bottles, cans, etc.) on the tables or sofas. Put your garbage in the garbage cans.

Bathrooms

You are responsible for your assigned bathroom, and you are responsible to keep it clean.

Don't throw anything other than toilet paper into the toilet otherwise the toilet will plug up. Girls: do not through sanitary napkins into the toilet!

Bicycles

Bicycles are not allowed inside the building. Lock them outside.

Garbage

Please help the environment and recycle:
PAPER: paper, paper bags and cardboard (not food, milk or orange juice containers!)
PLASTIC, CANS & GLASS: aluminum cans (for example, coke cans); also glass and plastic bottles.  NO plastic bags.
GARBAGE:  everything else, including food waste.

Never leave garbage on the floor, either inside or outside.

If a garbage can is full, take it outside. Don't make garbage cans spill over.

Don't throw garbage into the ashtrays.

5. Visitors

You are welcome to bring guests to the Student Home but remember:

YOU are responsible for your guests

For example, if your guests cause damage, YOU are responsible to pay for it. If your guests cause a problem or break the house rules, YOU are responsible.

Some guests are not allowed

The Student Home manager or student assistant may prohibit any non-resident from entering the student residence, and you are not allowed to invite such people. If the manager or a student assistant tells your guest to leave, YOU must ensure that this person leaves immediately.

No late-night guests

Absolutely no guests are allowed to stay at the student residence (inside or outside) between 22:00 and 7:00.

Guest parking

Guests are only allowed to park in our parking lot until 22:00. Any car parked in our parking lot after 22:00 without parking permit issued by a student assistant or the Student Home manager may be towed at their owner's expense.

Uninvited visitors

Anybody who enters the student residence without invitation by a resident can be arrested by the police. Please notify a student assistant or the manager if you see any uninvited people.

6. Your safety and the law

We are very serious about your safety and about the law. If you do something dangerous or illegal, you cannot stay at our student residence.

Keep the doors locked

Lock your bedroom door when you leave your room.

The outside doors lock automatically when closed. Do not block the doors to keep them open at any time!

Always keep the recreation room door locked.

Keep your valuables secure!

Always protect your valuables (for example, laptop, camera, passport, etc).

Don't leave your valuables in common areas unattended.

Don't leave money, jewelry or your passport unattended. Always take them with you.

We recommend that you lock your laptop with a laptop lock (available at many local stores) even inside your own room.

Note that we do not have any alarm system and that we don't carry insurance for your belongings. You are responsible for your own belongings.

Fire safety

California can be very dry and our student residence (and most other buildings) are made from wood. Please always be careful – fires start very easily in California!

No candles (or any other open fire) are allowed inside the building.

Do not disconnect any smoke detectors or take the batteries out. The smoke detectors are there for your safety. They can save your life.

No portable electric heaters or gas heaters are allowed at the Student Home.

Smoking

Cigarettes can easily cause a major fire in California. If you are a smoker, you must be extremely careful and you must follow the rules! Because of the dangers, we impose severe penalties if you or your guests (remember, YOU are responsible for your guests) don't follow our smoking rules, ranging from a minimum fine of $250 for a cigarette butt on the ground to you being required to move out (no refunds)!

You are allowed to smoke outside the building if you use an ashtray and if your smoke does't bother other residents.

NEVER smoke inside the building (this includes leaning out of the window, the recreation room and the bathrooms).

NEVER throw cigarettes on the ground - even if you think that it is already extinguished.

NEVER extinguish your cigarette on a wall or anything other than an ashtray.

No pets, No plants

No pets are allowed on the entire property (inside and outside).

Plants are not allowed inside the building.

No dangerous play

Rough play is strictly prohibited.

Don't climb in or out of the windows.

Don't climb onto the roof or onto trees.

No drugs or other illegal activities

Do not do anything illegal in the Student Home. We will call the police for an investigation if we suspect you use drugs or do anything illegal.

Don't steal shopping carts

Removing shopping carts from the shop's parking lot and brining them to the student residence is considered theft in California. If the police or a security guard sees you with a shopping cart on the street, you might be arrested.

No illegal file sharing

Don't use the Internet to share any files illegally. Don't download illegal or pirated files (including movies, MP3, etc). Our Internet Service Provider (ISP) can find out if you share files illegally. Be careful – fines in the USA can be $20,000 per MP3 song or more.

7. Equipment

Ping-pong table & football table

Do not sit or stand on the ping-pong table or the football table.

Do not put any drinks and bottles on the ping-pong table or the football table.

Remember, these tables break easily!

Garbage disposal

We have a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink to get rid off small amounts of soft food. Do NOT put the following down the drain: rice, coffee powder, hard objects (wood, bottle tops, etc), stringy things (for example, artichoke leaves). If the garbage disposal jams, you will be responsible for the repair cost!

Washer and dryer

You can wash your clothes in our machines.

Use quarters ($0.25 coins) for the washer and dryer.

Clean out the lint filter on the dryer before every use – the dryer will be much faster, safer and cheaper!

Don't leave your clothes in the washer or dryer longer than necessary. Clothes left in the laundry room for more than five days may be thrown in the garbage.

8. Problems

Important phone numbers

Emergency: 911 Call this number for all emergencies, for example in case of fire or if you need an ambulance.

San Rafael Police: 485-3000 Call this number if it's not an emergency, for example if something was stolen or damaged.

Injury

In case of serious injuries, please call an ambulance by dialing 911.

Theft

If something is stolen, contact the manager for assistance or call the police department directly. Please note that we will not be responsible for stolen items.

Suspicious people

If you see a suspicious person who does not live at our student residence, please notify the manager immediately or call the police at 485-3000. Note that the following people may enter the student residence:

Repair personnel

Cleaning personnel

If you break something

If you break or damage something, please tell the student assistants or the manager immediately.

If you don't tell us and we find out later that you damaged something, you will receive a written warning or you may have to move out immediately (no refunds).

If we cannot find out who caused a damage, the cost of repair will divided among the students who use the room or equipment.

If something doesn't work

If something doesn't work or needs repair, please tell the student assistants or the house manager immediately. We will try to repair it quickly.

Lockout

If you lock yourself out of the student residence or your room, please contact the student assistants or the house manager. However, if none is not available to help, you will need to call a locksmith – and you are responsible for the cost of the locksmith.

If you don't follow the rules

All students must follow the house rules. If you don't follow the rules, one or more of the following can happen:

Reminder: if it's only a one-time and small violation of the house rules, we may remind you of the rules without issuing a formal written warning.

Written warning: if you violate the house rules, the manager may issue a written warning. If you violate any of the rules again, you might have to move out of the Student Home immediately (no refunds).

Move out: if you repeatedly violate the house rules, if you cause a safety problem, if you cause problems to other students, if you use drugs, or if you do something illegal, you might have to move out of the student residence immediately (no refunds).

Police report: if you purposely cause harm to others, if you purposely damage property, if we suspect drug use or other illegal activities, or in case of other serious problems, we may call the police for an investigation.

Notifications: we may notify your school, and/or the agency that sent you, and/or your parents of any problems you caused and request their assistance.

Guest charge: if your guests are staying at the Student Home during “no-guest hours”, you have to pay $100 per guest per day.

Fines: you may also have to pay fines imposed by us or by the police.

Fees: if we have to clean up after you (for example, your dirty dishes, a messy kitchen, etc), we may charge you for special cleaning.

Fines

In order to make sure that everybody follows our house rules, we also impose fines for severe violations. Fines are:

Cigarette butt on the ground or outside an ashtray: $250 (and you may have to move out immediately)

Extinguishing a cigarette on a wall, furniture, floor and anything other than an ashtray: $250 plus cost of repair (and you may have to move out immediately)

Smoking indoors (including leaning out of windows): $250 plus cost of cleaning (and you may have to move out immediately)

Typical costs

If you cause damage, you have to pay for the cost to repair or replace it. Typical costs are:

Lost room key: $40

Lost house door key: $320

Broken door or window: $200 - $400

Broken mirror: $60 - $100

Damaged sink, tub or shower enclosure: $150 - $600

Lost/damaged TV remote control: $100

Damaged mattress: $150

Lost/damaged sheet/pillow/pillow case/towel/mattress cover: $20 each item

Lost/damaged blanket: $40

Jammed garbage disposal or plugged-up sink: $100

Plugged-up toilet: $100

Stained wall: $50 or more

Water damage to floors: $2,000 - $5,000 or more

Smell of cigarette smoke: $300 (and you may have to move out immediately)

Costs for lost, broken or dirty cutlery

Lost/broken/dirty dishes (each cup, glass, bowl, plate): $5 each item

Lost/broken/dirty silverware (each knife, spoon, fork): $3 each item

Lost/broken/dirty pot or pan: $10 each item

Lost/broken/dirty box: $10

9. Deposit

We collect a deposit when you arrive. Every time that your deposit falls under $100 (for example, because of cleaning charges), you need to top up the deposit to the full amount.

10. Shuttle bus

We have a shuttle bus to and from ELS at Dominican University from Monday to Friday. In the afternoon, the shuttle bus goes to San Rafael stores according to student requests.

Schedule:

Please check the posted shuttle schedule for details.

Sign-up sheet:

There are 2-3 trips every morning to ELS at Dominican University. You must sign up (the signup sheet is in the dining room) for the first, second or third trip. If you miss your shuttle, you can only go on a later trip if there is space available! If there is no space, you can call a taxi (about $10).

Guests:

The shuttle bus is for residents of the Student Home only. Your friends who do not live at the Student Home are not allowed to take the shuttle bus (our insurance company does not allow guests to ride on the shuttle bus).

11. Privacy

Usually we will not enter your room, except in these circumstances:

Regular entry

Every 4 weeks on check-out Saturday or before the arrival of a new student, our cleaning personnel will enter your room for normal cleaning. On this day, also the Student Home manager and the student assistants may enter your room to check if everything is okay.

Unannounced entries

We may enter your room unannounced to make important repairs, to check for damages, or if we suspect a violation of the house rules (this includes cleanliness).

12. Check-out

Check-out time

Check-out time is between 11:00 and 13:00 on your scheduled departure day. If you want to check out earlier in the morning or on an earlier day, please make an appointment with the Student Home manager.

Cleaning

You have to clean up before we give you your deposit back:

Bedroom: clean your bedroom, remove ALL your personal belongings, and any food and trash.

Linen: you don't have to wash your linen unless it is stained.

Bathroom: clean your bathroom and remove ALL your belongings.

Kitchen: remove ALL your food from the refrigerators, the freezer and the shelves.

Check-out procedure

At the time of check-out, please give a student assistant or the Student Home manager all your keys and your clean dish set.

Leave your linen on your bed (you don't need to wash the linen unless it is stained).

A student assistant or the Student Home manager will inspect your room and bathroom, as well as common areas.

We usually return your deposit at the time of check-out if it is during the scheduled check-out time and if we could perform an inspection.