Hosting Privately - How much to charge

Sometimes your Homestay may ask to stay on or you may consider hosting someone not associated with a company. It might be someone you have been hosting and they have asked to stay on, or it could simply be a friend of a friend who heard you often host. Whatever the situation, there are a few things you will need to consider before saying yes.

The first thing that will spring to mind is how much to charge, but we will leave that until the end, as there are a few more important points to discuss first.

It is important to note whether the person will be here as a full-time visitor or if they will be attending school. If they are here as a visitor for the first time, then it will be expected that you, as the Host, will show them around. If however, they attend school during the day, then your responsibility diminishes to only keeping them entertained in the afternoon/evenings and on the weekends. Adult homestay guests can take themselves to different places, which means there is less responsibility to keep them entertained, although you will still need to engage with them now and then.

Secondly, how will you all travel when you are out sightseeing? Will you use public transport, or will you use a car? Does your car have good fuel economy? Does it use a higher-priced fuel?

Have they been to Australia before, diminishing their need to go to the popular animal wildlife parks and possibly even the beach? Perhaps they have requested a trip to see the Pinnacles or a night in a tent. Some younger, school-aged visitors might be happy with seeing some wild animals, a trip to Kings Park and then going to an indoor trampolining place like Bounce. ※It is important to keep in mind that in some situations you will also be required to pay your own entrance fee to certain places, and will need to consider this when considering how much to charge a private homestay to cover your cost.

While not quite such a big concern for most, heating and cooling costs for your home can also be something to consider. Aussies generally rug up in warm clothes and tough out cold winter nights, however, you should not expect your homestay to do the same, (even if you consider it the "Aussie way") and should plan to make sure your home is sufficiently warm or cool depending on the season.

Lastly, while there will be more things to consider, we suggest you consider meals as an added expense. Not only will you be feeding an extra mouth, but treating them to some takeaway (e.g. fish 'n' chips, Red Rooster, Hungry Jacks etc.) will not only take the pressure off of you but fast food is applauded by most visitors and helps them feel at home.

With all of the above taken into consideration and understanding that the cost of living is continually rising, we suggest that if you have a private homestay, who is attending school during the week, you ask for $50 per night, and for a homestay that you will entertain every day we suggest asking for $65 - $75 per night.