31 Appendix E: IUHPFL Property and Liability Protocol
Incidents of damage or loss to personal property caused by IUHPFL students in host family homes are extremely rare. Our students take great care to respect their host families and to contribute to their host family households in positive ways. In order to prevent incidents or to address rare cases of damage or loss to property in a host family’s home, the following IUHPFL policy has been established.
Storing Items Away
IUHPFL recommends that all high-value, non-essential items (e.g., collectibles) and items of high sentimental worth in the host family household be stored away by host families prior to the program in order to avoid incidents of damage.
Homeowners Liability Coverage:
IUHPFL recommends that US Families include appropriate “general liability” coverage on their homeowners or renter’s policies.
Reporting Incidents to Appropriate Parties:
- Contacting Onsite Coordinator: The host family must contact the Onsite Coordinator within 24 hours of discovering an incident of damage or loss. The Onsite Coordinator will immediately inform the program instructors and the IUHPFL Office, who will then inform the US parents/guardians of the matter as soon as possible.
- Visit by Program Instructors: Within 2 days of an incident, one or two program instructors must visit the host family’s home together to gather evidence pertaining to the incident (e.g., take photos of any damage) and to ensure that the dynamic between the host family and the IUHPFL student is healthy and positive for everyone in the household. When an incident involves bodily injury, a visit is to be conducted as soon as possible and within 24 hours.
- Statements and Photos of the Incident: If the host family wishes to seek compensation for any damage or loss of their property incurred by the IUHPFL student, the following must be provided to the Onsite Coordinator, the IUHPFL Office, and the US parents/guardians within 3 days of the incident:
- A statement from the host family describing the incident and stating how they wish to resolve the situation
- Statements from the program instructors who visited the host family’s home describing their impressions of the incident and making recommendations as to how to best resolve the situation
- A statement of explanation of the incident from the IUHPFL student
- Photos and/or any other evidence pertaining to the incident from the host family, program instructors and/or IUHPFL student
US Parent/Guardian Response:
After receiving copies of all statements and photos of the incident, the US parents/guardians will be encouraged by the IUHPFL Office to respond to the host family via the IUHPFL Office within 2 days in one of the following ways:
- Agree to pay the Host Family the suggested compensation amount directly
- Negotiate a different amount
- Submit a claim to their insurance provider
- Refute or deny the host family’s claim.
Permission for IUHPFL Student to Pay Directly:
The IUHPFL student is not to compensate the host family directly for any incident of damage, loss or injury in the host family home unless instructed to do so by his or her parents/guardians.
IUHPFL Office Facilitation:
In the event of a dispute between a host family and a student or a student’s family in the US, Indiana University and IUHPFL will encourage both parties to reach an amicable resolution on their own accord. Under no circumstances are Indiana University or IUHPFL responsible for claims or for dispute resolution between the parties.
Excessive or Suspicious Claims:
Host Families who make excessive and/or suspicious claims of property damage or loss within their households, allegedly incurred by IUHPFL students, will not be invited to host IUHPFL students in future IUHPFL programs.
Indemnity of IU and IUHPFL:
Neither Indiana University nor the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages is responsible for accidental or intentional incidents of bodily injury or damage or loss of items or property in host family homes caused by IUHPFL students or other individuals.
Questions regarding this protocol should be emailed to iuhpfl@iu.edu. Thank you!