Skip to content

Homes for Ukraine - support for hosts

It's important that you let us know when your guests arrive so that we can arrange the final checks and setup your regular payments. Let us know your guests have arrived.

What to expect

DBS checks

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 adult 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.

Home checks

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.  A bed in a shared space is not an appropriate offer of accommodation for 6 months and people who didn’t previously know each other should not be given the same room. Two people should not be in one room unless they are:
    • adult cohabiting partners
    • a parent and child
    • 2 siblings of the same gender if aged over 10
    • 2 siblings regardless of gender if aged under 10.
  • has working smoke detectors on each floor of the property
  • has a working carbon monoxide detector in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance
  • has a report showing that a gas safety check (if you have gas appliances) has been completed on the property within the last year. If you need to arrange a gas safety check, you can either organise this yourself using a gas safe registered engineer or we can arrange one for you.

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 home checks on the Homes for Ukraine page 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.

Welfare check

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 412424.

Payments

You will be paid £350 per month which will be backdated from the date of arrival.

We will contact you to arrange your payments when:

  • all of the checks have been completed
  • we've received a DBS certificate for each eligible person in your home
  • you've told us that your guests have arrived.

If you haven't heard from us and we have already completed your checks, we will be in touch soon.

We will 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.

Rematching

We will only organise rematches for hosts who have:

We can only rematch guests and hosts if:

  • we decide it is not viable or safe for the Ukrainian guests or the host to continue the placement
  • or DBS or accommodation checks fail.

If you feel it is no longer viable or safe for your Ukrainian guests to stay with you, please email us at Ukraine@kent.gov.uk as soon as possible. In all other circumstances, contact your local district or borough council for help rehousing your guests.

We do not accept rematches from outside of Kent. We cannot accept any informal rematches made by individuals or through third parties.

We are also unable to move those who travelled under the family scheme into the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

What happens at the end of the six-month sponsorship period

You are committed to hosting guests for a minimum of 6 months, but you may choose to continue beyond the initial six months if you and your guest wish.

You are eligible for the £350 thank you payment for up to 12 months from when your guests arrived, providing the sponsorship arrangement continues. You should have the discussions with your guest as both parties need to be in agreement to this approach.

If you don’t want to continue the arrangement beyond 6 months (or at any time after that), you should let your guest know in plenty of time so they can make other arrangements. You should aim to give notice two months before the end of the 6 months (or with 2 months’ notice before any later date).

Guests will have access to public funds and, after leaving your home, will be able to rent a property like anyone else. If they need to, they’ll be able to claim the housing part of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.

More information

If you have any questions about the Homes for Ukraine scheme, visit the Homes for Ukraine page on GOV.UK

If you need to contact us, email Ukraine@kent.gov.uk.

How to support your guest

It’s really important that you support your guest to access things that are important to everyday life.