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This article goes into detail on the difference between hosting and taking in a lodger. If you’d prefer the 30-second decision page, start here.
Every year, people apply to become homestay hosts with the wrong picture in their heads. They have a spare room, they want some income from it, and hosting students sounds similar to taking in a lodger.
It isn’t. The two arrangements are genuinely different, and confusing them causes problems for everyone. Most of all for the student, who arrives expecting one thing and finds another.
A student who walks into a home expecting warmth and routine will struggle if their host was really looking for a quiet paying housemate. Getting this distinction right matters for you, and it matters for them.
Before you apply, it’s worth understanding both options honestly. One might suit you better than the other, and knowing which one before you commit saves everyone time.
The honest comparison
The easiest way to think about it is to compare the two side by side.
Taking in a lodger
Positives
- Possibly higher weekly income. A working professional may pay more per week than a homestay student, though this varies depending on location and arrangement.
- Possibly more consistent income. A lodger is there every month, so income tends to arrive more regularly than with hosting, where gaps between students are normal.
- You choose who moves in. You can meet several candidates, get a feel for each of them, and select someone you’re genuinely comfortable with.
- Once settled, most lodgers simply get on with their own routines. There’s less daily interaction expected of you.
- No third party involved. The arrangement is directly between you and the lodger, with no agency in the middle.
Negatives
- Permanent presence. A lodger is there all the time, including when you might want your home to yourself.
- Less flexibility. Taking a month off, going on holiday, or simply deciding you want a break is much harder when someone is permanently based in your spare room.
- A lodger is closer to a housemate than a guest. Long-term residents naturally develop expectations around shared spaces: what’s on television, how the kitchen is used, how the household runs. That’s a reasonable position for someone paying to live there, but it changes the dynamic of your home.
- Guests and overnight stays. A lodger may expect more freedom around having people over, which changes the feel of the arrangement.
- Harder to end. If the arrangement isn’t working, removing a lodger is more complicated and more time-consuming than simply not renewing a student booking.
Hosting a homestay student
Positives
- Flexibility. You decide when you’re available. You can take a student for two weeks, have a break, take another for a month, host through the summer and have the room back for family at Christmas. Hosting usually gives you much more control over your calendar than taking in a lodger.
- You can decline individual bookings. Before anything is confirmed, we share brief details about the student. If the timing or circumstances don’t suit you, you can say so at that stage.
- Short-term by nature. If a placement doesn’t work well, it ends. You’re not locked into a long arrangement with someone who turns out not to be a good fit.
- Variety. Students come from all over the world. Many hosts find this genuinely interesting, and some develop friendships that last long after the stay ends.
- Cultural exchange. Hosting brings the world into your home in a way that a lodger arrangement rarely does. You learn about your students’ countries, their food, their customs, their lives. Many hosts end up planning trips based on places their students have described.
- Lasting connections. It’s not unusual to have friends across a dozen countries after a few years of hosting. A long-term lodger, by contrast, is more likely to come and go quietly with little lasting connection.
- We manage the relationship. Complaints, difficult conversations, and payment are handled by us, not by you directly.
- A sense of purpose. Helping someone settle into a new country, particularly someone studying hard in a second language, is something many hosts find quietly rewarding.
Negatives
- Weekly rate. The weekly rate can be lower than what a lodger might pay, though this varies by category and how regularly you host.
- Occupancy. There will be gaps between students, when the room is empty and earning nothing. If you need reliable monthly income, hosting may not consistently deliver it.
- Hosting isn’t passive. If you’re providing half board, you need to be present for meals. You’re also expected to engage with your student daily and help them settle in on arrival. This is part of what a homestay offers that a hotel or residence cannot.
- You don’t personally select the student. We match students to hosts and manage the relationship throughout. You see brief details before confirming, but it’s not the same as interviewing and choosing someone yourself.
- House rules need to be reasonable. You set the rules and students follow them, but those rules need to reflect a welcoming home, not an exhaustive list of restrictions.
- Your home is assessed before you are accepted. We check the room, the facilities, and the overall environment before listing you. It isn’t onerous, but it’s a step that lodger arrangements don’t require.
What both arrangements have in common
Both involve sharing your home with someone you didn’t previously know. Both require tolerance, flexibility, and consideration. Neither is right for someone who values complete privacy above everything else.
Where people go wrong
The most common mistake is applying to host students while actually wanting a lodger. The motivation is usually financial: consistent weekly income from a spare room, with hosting assumed to be the same thing at a similar rate. It isn’t.
A lodger, particularly a working professional, may pay more per week, but that higher income comes with a fundamentally different relationship. A lodger is closer to a housemate. They expect equal standing in the home: shared decisions about common spaces, guests when they choose, a say in how the household runs. A homestay student is more like a visiting guest. They’re staying in your home for a defined and usually short period, within your household routines and house rules. The income difference reflects that difference in relationship, not just in price.
The second most common mistake is expecting the student to provide company. Some students are sociable and will happily chat over dinner. Others are tired, homesick, or focused on their studies, and will eat quietly and go to their room. Both are entirely normal. If you need the person in your spare room to be a social presence, a lodger arrangement, where you choose someone whose company you enjoy, is probably better suited to you.
The booking process
When we receive a booking request, we contact you with brief details: the student’s age, gender, nationality, and meal plan. If you’re happy to proceed, we confirm the booking and handle everything from there. If the timing doesn’t suit you, you can say so before anything is confirmed.
We do ask that once a booking is confirmed, you treat it as a commitment. A student who has booked flights, arranged a visa, and enrolled on a course around a confirmed date is depending on you. Cancelling causes real disruption to someone who has mentally prepared for their new home. Genuine emergencies happen and we understand that, but we ask hosts to take confirmed bookings seriously.
Before you are accepted
Becoming a London Homestays host involves a home assessment before you are listed. We check the room, the facilities, safety requirements, and the overall environment. It isn’t a lengthy process, but it is a step that no lodger arrangement asks of you. If you want to understand what’s involved before applying, contact us and we’ll walk you through it.
Which one is right for you
If you want consistent income, the ability to personally choose who lives with you, and a long-term arrangement with fewer day-to-day commitments, a lodger is probably the better fit.
If you want flexibility, variety, shorter commitments, and the satisfaction of helping international students experience London, hosting is worth considering seriously.
Neither is inherently the wrong choice. They’re different arrangements serving different needs. The important thing is being honest with yourself about which one you’re actually looking for, before you apply.
If hosting sounds right, apply to become a host. If you have questions first, contact us and we’ll give you a straight answer.
