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 minimal recommendations for a good experience, but don't forget to make it a personal experience 😊

Hosting individual Visitors

Before arrival

• 📜 Visiting page (phancy physalis!)
• establish intentions for visit
• talk about notable features of Kanthaus:
  • functional living
  • getting stuff without money
  • relative coldness in winter...
• agree on time of arrival (and maybe departure) — host should be present for at least first 2 days — then:
  • put in digital calendar (people),
  • write on visitor board, and
  • announce in Mattermost ~in-house and/or at CoMe
• reserve sleeping spot for at least first two nights, preferably private

Upon arrival

• be there to open the door and welcome 😊
• basic needs: water, food, toilets, etc
• establish preferred name, pronouns
• help them store their things (shoes, jacket, bag)
• show them sleeping place
• give Wifi password
• establish food requirements and preferences
• be generally available

First day

• house tour (ca. 1-2h)
• show physical calendar, to-do board, task board, Visitor task list
• most useful initial contribution: observing and asking questions
• everything communal unless labeled
• talk about culture around criticism
• get set up:
  • door tag
  • office space
  • snack kitchen use
  • plate shelf & other storage solutions

Check-ins

Visitor check-ins should happen once per week. (Remember, after 3 check-ins, a Visitor may apply to become a Volunteer.)

1st check-in

• join Mattermost
• help find an agreeable way to contribute

• 📜 Collective Agreements relevant in the first days

2nd check-in

• 📜 Collective agreements relevant after the first days
• 📜 Meeting culture
• 📜 Additional norms

3rd check-in

• 📜 Position attributes table
• 📜 Positions and evaluations
• 📜 Emergency protocols

Before departure

• write in the guestbook
• check all places for personal things:
  • sleeping rooms
  • offices
  • towel + bathroom shelf
  • plate shelf
  • shoe rack
  • vortex
• ask for email address for potential future contact

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.