Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Housing Terms and Conditions - USA

Melt Housing Terms and Conditions - USA

These Terms and Conditions govern the accommodayion services provided by Melt Education to Students booking homestay placements in the USA.

Homestay Placement Fee
    • This fee is paid to Melt to confirm that a placement is required and covers all work associated with the Placement process. 
    • On receipt of the placement fee payment, Melt Housing will review the Student’s profile and preferences and commence the work required to find a well-matched Host for the Student. 
    • The Placement Fee is not refundable once payment has been received
    • One host family profile will be sent to the Student/Agency after the Placement Fee is received.
    • If Melt Housing is unable to provide a minimum of 1 host family option who meets Melt Housing standards, then the Placement fee will be returned.
    • Requests for alternative placements may result in additional placement fees.
    • Melt Education does not discriminate against host families based on age, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, and marriage or family status.
    • For expedited match requests (less than 30 days notice), if Melt Accommodation is unable to provide one host family option who meets Melt standards a minimum of 1 week before the Student’s arrival date, the Placement fee will be refunded. 
Payment Procedures
    • The Placement Fee must be paid before a placement can be offered.
    • Once a host match is confirmed, an invoice for the full accommodation fees will be issued. Full payment must be made prior to Melt sharing the host contact information and home address.
    • Monthly rates are calculated based on a 4-wk (28-day) period.
    • Payment must be received within 5 business days of the host family option being offered in order to confirm the placement.
    • Failure to pay the fee within 5 business days may result in the host family option no longer being available.
    • Requests for additional options due to delayed invoice payment will result in additional Placement fees.
    • For any additional fees due, payment is due 30 days prior to the start of the service period. Should payment not be received by the due date, Melt reserves the right to charge a 1.5% late fee and begin eviction proceedings.

Accommodation Cancellation Prior to Arrival

  • Students cancelling less than 30 days prior to their accommodation arrival will receive a refund, minus the Placement Fee and a cancellation fee equivalent to 1-month accommodation fee
  • Please note: Certain homestay products/locations may be subject to alternative cancellation changes. Should these differ from above, Partners will be notified at the time of booking.
  • For accommodation cancellations due to visa refusal, Melt requires proof of school admission and at least three attempts of visa interviews in order to receive any refund.

Refunds
  • Refunds must be requested by emailing support@meltedu.com to request a refund form
  • All refunds will be issued to the original payment source.
  • If the original payment was made by credit, a refund will be issued back to the same card. Credit card and third party processing fees will be deducted from the refund total and are non-refundable. 
  • Refunds generally take 6 - 8 weeks to process
Accommodation Delays Prior to Arrivals
  • If a Student is unable to arrive by their intended start date due to a visa delay or course change, the Student may defer their placement until visa approval is granted or the course is rescheduled.
  • Provided Melt is notified in writing of any changes at least 3 business days prior to arrival, the Student may be required to pay (an) additional Placement fee(s) for a new placement plus 2 weeks of homestay fees.
  • Melt requires a minimum of 5 days’ notice once a Student’s visa has been approved to ensure a host can be arranged for the new arrival date.
  • If a homestay placement has been confirmed and a Student is unable to arrive by their intended start date, Melt cannot guarantee the same host will be able to accommodate the Student for their new dates. 
  • A new placement may be arranged once the Student’s visa is approved and new arrival details are confirmed.
  • All other changes of delays will be subject to the same notice periods and penalties as detailed in the Accommodation Cancellation Prior to Arrival section.

Changes and Cancellations After Arrival
  • Once a Student has arrived, they are asked to first contact the Melt Customer Support Team to discuss any homestay concerns/questions. 
  • Students intending to cancel their homestay must give Melt a minimum 4-week notice in writing.
  • If the 4-week notice period is not provided, a cancellation fee equal to 4 weeks of the homestay cost will apply.
  • If the Student is requesting an alternative homestay placement from Melt, the Student will be charged an additional Placement Fee. This applies to each new placement for which a Student applies.
  • If Melt is required to transfer a Student’s homestay placement more than 3 times, Melt Housing reserves the right to discontinue its services for the Student.
  • Students are responsible for any additional costs incurred for moving, packing, cleaning a room after departure, or damages to the room or property If the Student is under 18, transportation to a new homestay will be coordinated by Melt.
  • If after arrival the host becomes unavailable to host the Student, Melt will make every effort to find a replacement as soon as possible. If no other hosts are available, the Student will receive a refund or credit for the remaining nights.
  • Please note: Certain accommodation options may be subject to alternative cancellation charges. Should these differ from above, Students will be notified at the time of booking. 
Homestay Terms
  • Students arriving in homestay or residence between 22.00 – 08.00 may be asked to book alternative accommodation in a hotel on their first night due to late/early arrival at accommodation. Some accommodation options may charge late arrival surcharges. This information is available at the time of booking. 
  • Partial week stays (between 1 and 6 nights) will be charged as 1 week’s accommodation (7 nights) and are subject to availability. 
  • Where possible special dietary requirements will be accommodated. Availability and any applicable fees will be confirmed upon request.
  • Special dietary requirements include but are not limited to requests for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or halal meal plans. 
  • Melt may use carefully selected partners to house Students with suitable Homestay providers. 
  • Accommodation extensions after arrival are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. Please note that last minute extensions may be subject to a price increase. 
  • Accommodation requests for the next calendar year will be quoted at this year’s rates.
  • The booking year rate for deferrals can only be guaranteed for up to 6 months from the original booking start date. 
  • If the booking is further deferred new rates will apply and Students will be asked to pay the difference for any upgrade. 
  • We do not guarantee single gender shared accommodation. However, Students sharing the same bedroom will be single gender. Exceptions can be made for adult couples or siblings traveling to a homestay/residence asking to be accommodated in the same room. Requests for mixed gender siblings to share the same homestay where one or both is a minor can be permissible on a case-by-case basis. 
  • Melt will make every effort to ensure that Students are not assigned to a homestay with speakers of the same language. This is however based on availability and may not be operationally possible. 

Homestay for Minors (Under 18) 

Minors are required to book a full board homestay for the duration of their stay until they enter a post-secondary program


Damage to Property

  • All Students will be invoiced for a $500 damage deposit. Damage deposits are fully refundable if the placement is ended without any damages. 
  • If damages are incurred during the placement, the damage deposit will be used to cover the damage charges in part or in full, depending on the cost. If damages incurred are more than the damage deposit amount, it is the responsibility of the Student, parents and/or agency to cover the remaining costs or incurred expenses. 
  • If damages are incurred that are less than the damage deposit, the difference will be refunded after the placement has ended.

Group Homestay

Group homestay placements vary by group and may be subject to alternative terms, rates and policies. 

Liability

Melt and its staff and representatives will not be liable for loss, damage or injury to persons or property however caused, except where liability is expressly imposed by law. Melt will not be liable in the event that any service contracted to be supplied by Melt becomes impossible to supply for any reason or any cause outside the control of Melt. 

Force Majeure:

Melt shall not be responsible for any failure to comply with any of its obligations if the failure is occasioned by any cause beyond Melt’s reasonable control and despite the exercise of reasonable diligence and without incurring additional costs, cannot be prevented, or avoided. Force majeure events shall include but shall not be limited to, act of government, war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, general labour disturbance, such as a boycott, strike, lockout, or ‘go slow’ directives’, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, unusually adverse weather conditions, closure of a partner school, infectious diseases, viruses, plague, epidemic or pandemic health crises (caused by viruses such as Ebola, H1N1, H5N1, Zika, COVID-19, and other communicable diseases), or any action taken by a government or public authority, including prohibition of entry into a country or region of a country, promulgation of quarantine measures, ordering the “lockdown” of the whole or part of a country.


 Expulsion from Melt Housing

  • Melt reserves the right to expel Students for unacceptable or unlawful behavior.
  • No refund will be given and any unpaid fees become immediately payable. Repatriation is at Student’s own expense. Housing refund policies will apply.
  • Melt has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, bullying and harassment in the accommodation; Discrimination, bullying and harassment of any kind is unacceptable, against the law, and will not be tolerated.
  • Melt expects Students to behave in a manner that is considerate of those around them. Inappropriate conduct includes, but is not limited to:
    1 disruptions to the Melt-provided living environment (i.e. use of profanity, harassment, etc.);
    2 deliberate destruction, misuse, or theft of the property of hosts, or housemates;
    3 violence or threats of violence towards persons or property of hosts;
    4 sexual harassment, including unwanted advances or any other inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature.
    5 improper use of email or Internet access; and
    6 use of drugs (including marijuana where legal) or alcohol when underage. 

    Last updated March 12, 2025

    Note: Melt Education policies are subject to change at any time. The current Melt Housing Terms and Conditions supersede any previous Terms & Conditions that were applicable at the time of Student’s booking. The most up to date terms and conditions can be found at https://knowledge.meltedu.com/housing-terms-and-conditions-usa