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Homestay Host Insurance

Hosts are responsible to have their own adequate and appropriate Insurances at all times while hosting students from Study Vision.

Please always send Study Vision copies of your Home’s Certificate(s) of Currency of all your Insurances, whenever you renew them.

Study Vision is not qualified or licensed to provide any financial or insurance advice. Thus, Study Vision advises all hosts to discuss any additional insurance needs for their home or contents with their own insurance broker/provider before hosting guests at their home under a Homestay arrangement.

Important Message about Your Home Insurance:

  • Study Vision does not provide any insurance cover to Homestay Hosts or their guests, at any time.
  • Hosts are solely responsible and accountable to buy and maintain, at their own cost, proper and adequate insurances for their home, contents and vehicles, throughout the period when they are hosting Study Vision guests in their Homestay
  • Hosts agree that they shall not hold Study Vision, or the students who are placed by Study Vision at your home, or Study Vision staff, Management, or contractors, in any way to be responsible, Liable or accountable to any abuse, theft, loss or damage to property or contents, and including all forms: whether physical/material, financial or non-material, arising from hosting the students (guests) in your home.

When you accept this Booking, i.e. to host Study Vision students placed with you at your home, you shall indemnify Study Vision, its staff, Management and contractors, as well as all your students (guests) placed in your home by Study Vision, from any Liability, theft, loss, deaths and damages to property or contents, in any way or form. Consequently, you shall not request or demand any compensation from Study Vision, its employees and contractors, and the students (guests), in any amount or form arising from any incidence due to this placement.

At minimum, Hosts must have and maintain at all times the following:

Public Liability cover of $20 million that covers both of the following two liabilities:

    1. the Liability of the Homestay Host to the student (Guests in Homestay);as well as,
    2. the Liability of the student (Guest) to the Homestay Host.

NB- If you already have insurance for your home, please contact your insurance company first to check if they provide cover for the above two types of liabilities.

Please be aware that Standard “Home and Contents” or “Contents only” insurance policies do not cater for all risks associated with hosting students in your home. This is because they are not designed to cover the property of someone who is not a member of the policyholder’s family or damage caused to a policyholder’s property by someone living at the address. They do not cover the host’s liability to the student or the students’ liability to the host.

“Homestay Host” Insurance:

A new Homestay Host Insurance policy has recently been created in Australia to provide Liability cover for:

  1. a student negligently damaging the host’s property
  2. a student negligently causing injury to a host
  3. a host negligently damaging the student’s property
  4. a host negligently causing injury to a student

The policy costs approximately $200 for a $20 million limit and has an excess of $500 for any claims that are made. It covers up to 4 students (guests), who are not members of your family, living with you at your Homestay.

It is available online at: https://www.expressinsurance.com.au/homestay-insurance

Therefore, before any student (guest) from Study Vision moves in to live in your home:

  • If you already have the Homestay Host Insurance from the link above (Express insurance), and you have not yet sent it, please email to Study Vision a copy of your Certificate of Currency to : [email protected]
  • If you already have any another insurance, please contact your insurance company and ask if your current insurance provides the minimum required $20M Liability cover for the following two parties (You must mention this to your insurer):
    • the Liability of the Homestay Host (Yourself) to your students (Guests living in your Home, ie together with you and your family); as well as,
    • the Liability of your student (Guest), who lives in your home, to Yourself ( the Homestay Host).

i.e. Your cover must specifically cover for the following conditions:

    1. Your student(s) (guests) negligently damaging your (The host) property;
    2. Your student(s) (guests) negligently causing injury to your family (The host);
    3. Your family (The host) negligently damaging your students’ (guests) property;
    4. Your family (The Host) negligently causing injury to your students (guests).

If your current insurer confirms that the above Liability cover applies with your insurance, please request confirmation in writing from them and save their reply in case you make any claims.

Please email Study Vision a copy of this written confirmation from your insurer.

  • If your current Home and Contents insurance does not provide $20M Liability cover to both You (The Host) to your students (guests) at your home as well as the Liability of your students (guests) to you, please:

Purchase and maintain at all times while you are hosting Study Vision students the “Homestay Host Insurance” specifically one which covers the liability of Hosts to students as well as the liability of students to their Host. As of June 2024, the only such Liability Insurance found in Australia is the one offered by Express Insurance (see this link to read more and to apply):

(https://www.expressinsurance.com.au/homestay-insurance). Please email asap to Study Vision, a copy of this Certificate of Currency to : [email protected]

  • If you do not have any type of insurance or if you only have a type of Homestay (Host) insurance that does not cover the liability of both the host to the student, as well as the student to the host, please:
    1. Purchase and maintain at all times while you are hosting Study Vision students the “Homestay Host Insurance” specifically one which covers the liability of Hosts to students as well as the liability of students to their Host. As of June 2024, the only such Liability Insurance found in Australia is the one offered by Express Insurance (see this link to read more and to apply): (https://www.expressinsurance.com.au/homestay-insurance). Please email asap to Study Vision, a copy of this Certificate of Currency to : [email protected]
    2. It is recommended to check with an insurance company or broker your need of having (in addition to the Homestay Host Insurance) the “Home and Contents” insurance.

Note that if you are living and hosting students in a strata property, either as an owner or tenant, the “Contents only“ insurance may be adequate, as the building is normally covered by the strata.  Buying the Accidental Damages option in any insurance taken is prudent to have, particularly when hosting students (guests) at your home.

Please email asap to Study Vision, a copy of the Certificate of Currency of any insurance you will have to : [email protected]

 

Note: This policy is subject to change at any time. Please check all Study Vision Policies on a regular basis for updates.