Homes for Ukraine - support for hosts
What to expect
After you register your interest in becoming a host for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we will contact you to arrange a free DBS check for every person over 16 that lives in your home (not the arriving refugees).
If you are using an unoccupied property for the scheme, we will still need to do a free DBS check for you but may not need to check the other members of your family.
We will prioritise your checks if you already have Ukrainian nationals staying with you.
You can find out more about eligibility, safeguarding, DBS and accommodation checks on GOV.UK.
If you have lived overseas in the past 5 years, a Certificate of Good Conduct will be required alongside the DBS check. You can find out more about the criminal records checks for overseas applicants on GOV.UK.
Your local council will contact you to arrange a convenient time for the inspection.
They will check to make sure the property:
- is clean, warm, safe and in a reasonable state
- has an empty room and adequate space for your guest.
- Two adults cannot share a bedroom unless they are adult cohabiting partners.
- Two children aged 0 to 9 years can share a bedroom whatever their sex.
- Two children aged 0 to 15 years can share a bedroom if they are the same sex.
- Otherwise, children must have separate bedrooms.
- Children 16 years and above must have their own bedroom.
- Parents can share a bedroom with their child/ren up to 10 years old.
- A bed in a shared space is not an appropriate offer of accommodation for 6 months for hosts or guests.
- People who didn’t previously know each other should not be given the same room.
- has adequate kitchen and bathroom space
- has access to drinking water
- has a working smoke detector on each floor of the property and other fire safety precautions suitable for the building, for example fire doors or escape routes as appropriate (read more about making a home safe from fire)
- has a working carbon monoxide detector in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance, for example, a coal fire or wood burning stove
- has sufficient heating to keep the property at a comfortable temperature
- has had the appropriate checks. A gas safety certificate is not mandatory, though you might need one if you have cause for concern. A gas safe registered engineer can do this for you (this safety check should have been made within the last year)
- has safe and working electrics, which a qualified electrician can help with if you are unsure
- is almost entirely free of damp or mould
- has doors and windows at entry level that lock properly
- is easy and safe to move around in, without excessively steep staircases that may cause harm.
The visit should last around one hour and you should hear back from us with any issues you need to address within 48 hours.
You can find out more about the basic accommodation needs for Homes for Ukraine on GOV.UK.
Free home fire safety checks
The Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) are supporting hosts by offering free home fire safety visits. The visit may include:
- installing fire alarms
- installing a carbon monoxide alarm
- fire safety advice.
To find out more, visit the KFRS website and quote KFRSUkraine when booking.
Complete this form to tell us your guests have arrived. We will then arrange a welfare check as soon as possible to make sure that everything is okay and to see if you need any further support.
If you are unable to complete the form, please call us on 03000 419820.
Your guests need to have access to their own UK mobile phone before we can make any welcome payments.
We will contact you to arrange your payments when if eligible:
- all of the checks have been completed
- we've received a satisfactory DBS certificate for each eligible person in your home
- you've told us that your guests have arrived.
For new payment applications from 1 October 2024, sponsors who are in (or later form) a close family relationship with their guests will not be eligible for payment.
If you haven't heard from us and we have already completed your checks, we will be in touch soon and payments will be backdated to the date your guests arrived. You'll receive a payment for each calendar month where you have hosted for more than 16 days.
If you're hosting guests who have been in Kent for up to 12 months
If you’re hosting guests who have been in Kent for up to 12 months, you will get a £350 thank you payment plus a top-up amount depending on how many guests you have staying with you:
| Number of Ukrainian guests | Thank you payment | Top-up payment | Total monthly payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest | £350 | £50 | £400 |
| 2 guests | £350 | £150 | £500 |
| 3 guests | £350 | £250 | £600 |
| 4 guests | £350 | £350 | £700 |
| 5 guests | £350 | £450 | £800 |
| 6 guests | £350 | £550 | £900 |
| 7 or more guests | £350 | £650 | £1,000 |
If you're hosting guests who have been in Kent for more than 12 months
If you’re hosting guests who have been in Kent for more than 12 months, you will get a £500 thank you payment, plus a top-up amount if you host 3 or more guests:
| Number of Ukrainian guests | Thank you payment | Top-up payment | Total monthly payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest | £500 | £0 | £500 |
| 2 guests | £500 | £0 | £500 |
| 3 guests | £500 | £100 | £600 |
| 4 guests | £500 | £200 | £700 |
| 5 guests | £500 | £300 | £800 |
| 6 guests | £500 | £400 | £900 |
| 7 or more guests | £500 | £500 | £1,000 |
Payments for Ukrainian refugees
We will also provide Ukrainian refugees with a one-off £200 payment. We will process this as soon as possible after you've completed the form to tell us they have arrived.
Your guests need to have access to their own UK mobile phone before we can make any welcome payments.
If your guests leave your home temporarily for 4 weeks or more, or leave without a return date, you need to let us know so we can suspend your payments. Tell us your guests have left temporarily.
When they come back, you'll need to tell us your guests have returned and reapply for payments. Since 1 October 2024, sponsors who are in (or later form) a close family relationship with their guests will not be eligible for payments to be restarted.
Children being left without the parent they travelled with
Parents and sponsors must contact us before making any arrangements for guest children to be left without the parent they travelled with. It is especially important that parents do not leave the country before contacting us.
There are both legal and safeguarding implications for these arrangements and therefore it is important that you discuss this with the team to make sure that you have the correct information and are aware of the steps you must take.
Please contact ukrainesafeguarding@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 41 98 20 and request a call back from the safeguarding team.
Practical advice
It’s really important that you support your guest to access things that are important to everyday life. We have put together a list of services that your guest may need to use.
The government have issued guidance for guests which includes specific information for those arriving on the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Visit the supporting your guest section of the Reset website for information and guidance.
Read the guide for new refugees on GOV.UK.
Visas
Visa applications are managed by the Home Office and we have no access to the visa system or the ability to escalate visa enquiries. If you'd like support with your guest's visa, call the Home Office's visa helpline on 0808 164 8810 and press option 1.
English with Ukrainians
You may want to watch some of the videos on a YouTube channel called English with Ukrainians, where Ukrainian translators have translated lessons and discussed language and cultural differences. There are also activities that are suitable for you to do with your Ukrainian guests.
Ending the placement
When your guests have been in the UK for 4 months, we encourage you to speak to them about their next steps.
You may want to:
- continue hosting
- help your guests find rented private accommodation.
Two months before your placement is due to end, speak to your support worker about what you're planning to do. They will then be able to support your guests if they're moving on, or arrange for your thank you payments to continue. You need to keep us informed, especially if your plans change.
If you continue to host, you will receive thank you payments for up to a maximum of 3 years from your guest's visa issue date. You will receive £350 a month during the first 12 months, and £500 a month thereafter.
If you arrange to host a guest without the agreement of the local council, you won’t be able to claim the thank you payment, because the arrangement is outside of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Renting private accommodation
Private accommodation and social housing is in high demand. Some councils are using the funding they have received from the government to help Ukrainian guests get private rented accommodation. This may include paying rent in advance or providing a deposit. If your guests are ready to rent but are struggling to get a place of their own, they should contact your local district or borough council to find out what support is available in your area.
If your guests leave your home you need tell us your guests have left so that we can stop your payments.
Contacts
For more information on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, read the sponsor guides on GOV.UK.
If you need to contact us, email Ukraine@kent.gov.uk.
Fraudulent use of the Homes for Ukraine scheme
Registering to sponsor a guest in order to obtain a VISA to enter the country is a fraudulent use of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We will report fraudulent applications to the government, and the related VISA application will be refused.
You must only make an application to sponsor a guest if you intend to accommodate and support your guest for a minimum of 6 months, as is required under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. You will confirm this as part of the eligibility checks when you register.
Visit the GOV.UK website for full information about the expectations and role of a sponsor, and the eligibility criteria.