House Rules
General:
While the layout is that of a co-living house, the public spaces including the lobby, dining room, kitchen, and outdoor spaces should be kept void of guests’ personal items when not in that space. Any use in the public spaces should be cleaned when finished.
Please respect all guests, their space, items and person. Should you have an issue with another guest and are unable to resolved it directly, please address your issue with Naison, the house manager.
Quiet hours are observed between 10pm-7am daily. This is a strict policy and particularly necessary in the public areas like outside the house (the neighborhood association has implemented a 10pm quiet hours rule; 11pm on weekends) and inside in the lobby, kitchen and dining areas.
Please be mindful of leaving items outside of the house at all times. While we have security measures in place, such as cameras, electric fence and a response team, it’s best to avoid encouraging unwanted visitors. Additionally, please keep any valuables in your safe and your doors/windows closed when not in the house.
Non-property guests are welcome, but their respectful behavior is your responsibility, and they should be escorted both on and off property. If having more than a few people and hitting capacity of a community area, please give some notice to other guests. If non-registered overnight guests become frequent, you’ll be asked to pay the supplemental daily rate of R100/person/night. All overnight guests are required to furnish an ID upon request.
The copying of keys or giving any property keys to anyone not registered is strictly prohibited. Should this occur, you will be charged for the replacement of the locks.
Cameras (video only) are installed externally in the front, sides and back as well as internally facing the lobby entrance, dining room and kitchen; for the safety of all guests.
You’re welcome to use any of the household items such as the DVD player, yoga mats, collapsible chairs; but they should be returned cleaned and promptly to their storage after use so others can enjoy. You can view a full list of items here. Please do not take bath towels or sheets off property as there are beach towels for this purpose.
There is no smoking (of any items including vapes) inside or within doorways and please be cognizant of smoking near other guests’ windows and doors. Candles are also not allowed inside.
The alcohol and items in the bar fridge are available for purchase using the Honesty Bar system, unless labeled with another guest’s rubberband. An overview and to purchase items at the Honesty Bar can be found here.
Please only use your respective room’s profile on the Firestick as each person may have signed into their own accounts and do not make any purchases from any of these devices.
When the AC is on, please keep your door/windows closed (including the bathroom window). Please turn off lights/AC when not in the room. Management reserves the right to turn off the AC/lights if a guest is not present for an extended period of time.
Please be cognizant of your water usage as a few years ago Cape Town almost ran out of water. Please do not flush anything other than house-provided toilet paper down the drain; flushable wipes and feminine products can be placed in the small paper bags in each bathroom and disposed of in the trash. Additionally, we have dark face towels that should be used for make-up removal to avoid staining the white towels.
Should you break anything, you will be charged for replacement or repair of the item.
If a guest has a specific allergy, the house will be informed and we ask that you be considerate of this when staying at the property. For instance: Anything lavender (scents, oils, the flower itself) is prohibited due to an allergy by house staff.
Shared Spaces:
Refrigerator: While you have a mini-fridge in your room, you’re able to use the main fridge for larger items if necessary. Please use your rooms’ colored rubber bands to denote it’s yours. Each room also has a dry storage cabinet in the kitchen and items should be sealed to prevent bugs. Please ensure all food is covered both outside and inside refrigerators. Please do not eat other guests’ food or drinks in the main fridge regardless if it has been labeled. Please keep fruit in a fridge to avoid fruit flies. If you deplete an ice cube tray, please refill. The main fridge will be cleaned out weekly with any old items.
Dishes/Dishwasher: Food should be scraped off the dishes before putting in the dishwasher or recycling bin to avoid bugs and allow for a proper dishwasher clean. Please utilize the dishwasher for everyday plates, glasses & silverware as it save both water & ensures a proper clean. Large or singular items can be washed by hand. After you’re finished eating, please put any cookware or dishware into the dishwasher. The sink area should be clean nightly (the exception being items that require soaking). Silverware is placed on the top drawer, plasticware and cups/glasses on the upper rack and plateware on the bottom rack. The dishwasher is usually run on a daily basis on the 60-minute cycle (60°C).
Cleaning: Please clean the stove and any prep areas upon the completion of eating your meal and leave the kitchen in the same or better condition as you found it. Non-plastic dishware, utensils and appliances should be kept on property. Trash pick-up is weekly on Wednesday mornings and recycling is bi-weekly. Rooms will be cleaned every 6-9 days and shown on the house calendar. We ask that you place personal items in the cabinets, so all surfaces can be cleaned and have the room vacant for a 4-hour period between 9am - 5pm.
Laundry: A washer and dryer are available for your use between the hours of 10am-10pm with detergent available for your use in the laundry closet. Please do not wash towels or other retreat items with your personal items (these will be done separately by staff). Clothes are ideally washed on either Jeans or Shirts (30°-40°C) and all options have a time-reduction option. Bedsheets and towels are washed at 90°C. After using the washing machine, please leave the door open to prevent mildew from forming. After using the dryer, please empty the water refuse drawer and clean the lint trap. Please do not let your laundry sit for an extensive time as others may need to use it. There is a drying string in each shower and a portable folding drying rack in the laundry closet for your use as well as racks on the side of the house. We also have an iron (one for clothes & one for crafts) as well as a steamer for your use. As the dishwasher, washer and dryer are all on the same circuit, only two can be utilized at the same time unfortunately.
Pool: You’re welcome to use the pool between 7am-10pm daily, however please be mindful of loud noise. You can find towels in the outside cabinet or towel rack. Please do not take glass into or immediately around the pool (to prevent breakage which requires the pool to be drained, cleaned and refilled at a cost). To prevent others from slipping, please make sure your feet are relatively dry when walking back into the house.
Honesty Bar: Use of the honesty bar is available, however all consumption requires the use of the form found by clicking the QR and subsequent payment. Replenishment of exact or similar items is not permitted as we do phase out certain items from time to time. Only direct house guests should utilize the honesty bar for themselves or their guests and immediately complete the form.
Other rules: If you have specific questions about a topic, please ask away.
If, after multiple attempts for resolution, a guest is unable to adhere to the house rules, they may be asked to vacate the property and will receive a pro-rated return of funds of their stay.