Hosting

Visitors and groups require a Volunteer or Member to host them during their stay. Hosting is important work, with the host acting as the main connector between the visitor/group and the community. This page collects points important for a consistent experience, but don't forget to make it a personal experience 😊

Hosting individual Visitors

Before arrival

• make sure they've read the Visiting page on the website (phancy physalis!)
• get an idea of their intentions for their visit
• talk about the weird and wonderful features of Kanthaus:
  • functional living (i.e. more like a hostel + coworking + hackerspace + etc than a shared flat)
  • how we get most of our food without spending money
  • relative coldness in winter
  • …
• agree on date (and time) of arrival (and maybe departure) where you can be present for first 2 days, then inform Kanthausians:
  • put it in digital calendar ("people"),
  • write it on the visitor board, and
  • announce on Mattermost and/or at CoMe
• reserve a sleeping spot for them for at least the first two nights, preferably a private room

Upon arrival

• be there to open the door and welcome them 😊
• help satisfy basic needs (water, food, where are toilets, etc)
• establish preferred name, pronouns
• help them store their things (shoes, jacket, bag)
• show them where they'll sleep that night
• tell them the Wifi password
• find out food requirements and preferences
• be available for a chat
• make it clear that it's cool to hang out in the communal spaces

First day

• do a house tour (ca. 1-2h)
• show the physical calendar and todo board, explain schedule for next 24 hours
• encourage them that the most useful thing they can do in the first couple days is to pay attention, read signs, figure out what they need, get introduced to people and ask questions
• point out that being criticized is not meant personally and happens to everyone here
• get set up:
  • door tag
  • office space
  • snack kitchen use
  • plate shelf & other storage solutions

Check-ins (once every week)

• check the Collective agreements are understood
• invite them to Mattermost
• show and explain the task distribution board (hanging next to the main office) and one-time tasks, see Visitor task list
• go over Meeting culture and Additional norms together
• talk about Positions and Evaluations
• go over emergency protocol

Before departure

• invite to write in the guestbook
• remind them to check all the place they might have stored or left stuff:
  • rooms they slept in
  • offices they worked in
  • towel + bathroom shelf
  • plate shelf
  • shoe rack
  • other storage locations
  • vortex
• ask them for their email address if they want to receive our newsletter in future

Hosting groups

(Doesn't work hosting at Kanthaus? See Other places for groups)

Clarify the basics

• communicate and find out the following:
  • what is it that they are doing?
  • how many people are coming?
  • when will they arrive (earliest) and leave (latest)?
  • which room(s) will they be using for day-time activities?
  • which room(s) will they be using for sleeping?
  • (when) will they participate in dinner preparation?
  • will they bring food or help us recover it?
• communicate to KH residents about the group coming
  • make a Mattermost post in ~kanthaus and/or a CoMe point
  • put it in the nextcloud calendar in the following format: Group name (n ppl) [host]

Before arrival

• reserve the room(s)
• keep KH residents posted about changes in group size, arrival time, room usage and/or duration of stay
• check the room(s) you offered them for usability, cleanliness and clean them if necessary

Upon arrival

• be there to open the door and welcome them :)
• show them where they can leave their stuff
• show them the room(s) they will be using
• invite them to use the rest of the house as well
• give them a key/tag and/or teach them the door code

During

• give a house tour if wanted
• regularly check in with them to make sure everything is fine
• be available for questions
• make them aware of the guest book and invite them to leave an entry

After

• check the room(s) and leave them in a usable state
• check privatizable storage areas and clear names if necessary

Other information

Visitor task list

There's currently a pad with potential things visitors could do while in Kanthaus. This list is meant to be comprised of tasks which can be done with little to no help from experienced residents. It’s things which are small, and accessible; not super urgent, but still useful. Some tasks have names next to them which can be read as an invitation to get in contact with residents.

Communal agreement

There was a communal agreement on hosting duties. It was removed after a constitutional change in July 2025.

Hosts—Volunteers or Members which agree to host a Visitor—are responsible for taking care that their Visitor and the other residents have the best time possible. This responsibility includes tour-guiding, question answering, helping to avoid common problems and resolving tensions. Hosts are also responsible for organizing a check-in for the Visitor after the Visitor has spent ~7 days at Kanthaus. The check-in round is an informal chat in which the Visitor, their host and one or two Volunteers/Members see how things are going for the Visitor and other residents. Hosting Duty should be explicitly transferred if the current host leaves for more than 2 or 3 days.