In costa Rica, most rent contract and agreements require a deposit, however UPEACE have arranged with property owners, so that the security deposit can be paid from the second month and not from the first month as required. The first month’s rent will be considered as a trial month (mandatory payment), and the student will only have to pay the first month’s rent upon arrival (or prepayment if requested). During the first month (trial month), the student will have to decide whether to stay longer (at the same place chosen prior the arrival) or to move to another place starting the second month. Whatever decision the student has made, in the second month a contract must be signed and the corresponding payment of the second month’s rent plus the security deposit must be made together. The trial month is only valid for the first month, upon arrival to Costa Rica.  Therefore, from the second month (after the trial month) you will have to comply and live in the place you chose and stay for the rest of your academic period following the terms and conditions agreed with your landlord.

UPEACE property owners prioritize students who already have a ticket and travel itinerary, as this serves as a confirmation of their reservation. If you do not yet have a flight ticket but need to reserve a place, you will be required to make a down payment or prepayment directly to the host to secure your spot.

Please note that prepayments are non-refundable and non-transferable. Please review the information related to prepayments in the document titled: Student Housing – General Information 2025-2026.

No, once you submit your booking request, the platform does not allow any modifications. However, once your booking has been confirmed by the host, you may request changes and it will be up to the owner to endorse them or not.

The only action available to students (before owner´s confirmation) is to cancel the booking request. If the host has already approved it, you are required to honor the booking for at least the first month upon arrival (trial month).

If the payment is not completed within 72 hours of the owner’s confirmation, the platform will cancel your booking, and this action cannot be undone.

To avoid any issues, be sure to keep your owner informed throughout the process.

You can cancel a reservation only if the homeowner has not yet approved or confirmed it. Once the reservation is approved, you are required to fulfill your booking and follow the cancellation policies outlined by the homeowner. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you can commit to the reservation before finalizing it.

To do this, log in to the booking platform using your credentials. Navigate to your reservations, select the reservation you want to cancel, click the ‘Details’ button, and then select the ‘Cancel’ option. You will need to provide a reason for the cancellation before submitting it.

To access your reservation order, log in to your account on the UPEACE reservation platform and navigate to the “Reservations” tab. There, you will find all the details related to your bookings.

All students can only make 1 reservation at a time. Therefore, making more than 1 reservation at the same time may have consequences.

• The reservation you no longer want may be the one that is approved first and you will have to honor your reservation.
• All your reservations could be cancelled and the system will not allow you to book again.
• Both reservations may be confirmed by their owners and you may have to pay for both places upon arrival.

Additionally, this would cause further delays in the reservation process. Therefore, be sure to choose the property that meets your preferences before submitting your booking request.

Security deposit payments are typically required during the second month, following the trial month. This policy is exclusively available to UPEACE students.

Note: Some owners, particularly those working with real estate agents or rental partners, may request a security deposit before arrival. However, the trial month remains applicable, and the deposit will be refunded in accordance with the terms outlined in the lease agreement.

Don’t worry, the platform will automatically calculate the total amount of your order, but this doesn’t mean you have to pay everything before your arrival. To clearly understand the breakdown of your invoice, log in to your account on the portal and go to the “Payment” tab. There, you will see the following details:

• First month’s rent (or the duration you booked)
• Cleaning fee (if applicable)
• Extra services (if applicable)
• Subtotal (sum of the above amounts)
• Security deposit (which you can pay by the second month, after the trial month, unless the owner requests it as a prepayment for reserving the property)
• Total or balance due (the combined total of all the above items)

Based on the owner’s conditions, you may be asked to make a prepayment (if applicable) or pay the full first month’s rent upon arrival. Be sure to carefully review the property description and payment policies.

The UPEACE booking platform does not handle any payments. It is solely designed for the student reservation process, allowing you to choose and book your preferred accommodation. All payments must be made directly to the homeowner according to their rental terms and conditions.

If the owner does not require a prepayment, no down payment is needed, and you can make your first payment on the day of your arrival. However, if a prepayment is required, you will have 72 hours from the approval of your reservation to make the payment to secure your booking. To obtain the bank details for the prepayment, you will need to contact your host directly, as this platform does not handle any payments.

Once your reservation is confirmed, you can request your landlord’s contact information from the UPEACE Housing Assistant at housing@upeace.org.

Yes, you must first register as a user to reserve a facility. Without registration, the platform will not allow you to make any bookings. During registration, you will encounter two user profile options:

• I want to book (for students only)
• I want to host (for owners only)

Please ensure you select the appropriate user profile during the registration process.

The minimum reservation period set by listed owners is 1 month. The platform will NOT permit you to make bookings for a duration shorter than this.

Please ensure that you follow the recommended booking cycle, starting from your check-in day and continuing to the same day of the next month, and similarly for each subsequent month of your stay. This is how the rent payment cycle works for UPEACE students

No, all reservations must be made on a monthly basis. Unlike platforms like Airbnb, UPEACE offers special rental rates for students, making it neither practical nor beneficial for listed owners to rent for very short periods.

If you need a reservation for a short course, please reach out to the Housing Assistant via email at housing@upeace.org. This process is typically handled manually, as not all landlords accept short-term bookings. Availability will depend on the season and the individual landlord’s policies.

You should reach out to the UPEACE Housing Assistant at housing@upeace.org to help you find properties that accommodate short stays (days or weeks). Host family homes often offer more availability and flexibility for stays under one month. Depending on your travel dates and room availability, a suitable accommodation will be assigned to you.

No, this payment is non-refundable. When students complete their reservations, it confirms their official arrival date and commitment to the booking. If a student decides to cancel, this amount will not be refunded, and the owner will keep it. Furthermore, the owner has the right to use the property and offer it to another interested student. 

Note: This is not an additional fee but a prepayment— usually equivalent to one-third of the first month’s rent—that will not be refunded if the reservation is canceled or postponed. 

Please be aware that the 72-hour period starts as soon as the owner accepts or confirms the student’s reservation. If the payment is not confirmed within this time, the platform will automatically cancel the reservation, making it available for other students to book. In some cases, students may request an “extension to complete the prepayment” due to special circumstances. Whether or not this extension is granted is at the discretion of each individual owner and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The reservation can be held for 7 to 10 days after the official arrival date, with the specific duration determined by each owner. After this grace period, the owner can choose to either extend the hold for the student’s arrival or make the accommodation available for other students to view and book.