Homes for Ukraine Scheme – Hosting

In order to become a host, you have to ensure that your property is appropriate to welcome guests from Ukraine. Here is a short list of things that you will need to do and provide.

• 6 months accommodation for which you cannot charge rent
• Separate bedroom(s)
• Freedom of movement so the guest is not restricted to a small section of the house

There are two types of checks required under the Homes for Ukraine scheme:

1. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check – As a part of our duty to promote the welfare of children and adults, we are administering DBS checks to sponsors and all people over 16 living within the property listed on Visa application. If you already hold a DBS certificate and use the DBS Update service, we might accept it for the purposes of Homes for Ukraine safeguarding checks, if the original certificate is of the same level and type as that for which they are eligible and required to undergo for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

2. Property suitability check. This process has two parts:

• Address verification – This process ensures that the address on the VISA application is a residential property that exists within the Council’s administrative area. You do not have to do anything to enable this to happen.
• Accommodation Check – You will be contacted to arrange a visit to the property listed on the application. This will be undertaken by our Environmental Health team. The team will ensure that your accommodation is suitable for your guests.

Please note – these two checks do not delay your guests VISA applications or affect their arrival date.

There are two ways you can become a host for a person or family from Ukraine as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme:

1.Become a sponsor

The first way is to join the national Homes for Ukraine scheme directly where you will sponsor and host someone who is not yet in the UK. If you already know who you want to sponsor, you can submit a joint application for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

2.Become a rematch host

The second way is to host a Ukrainian individual or a family who have already arrived in Mole Valley (or elsewhere in the UK) but whose arrangements with their current host are ending or have ended (or could not take place at all). We are actively looking for rematch hosts in the district and if you would like to become a host please email us at homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk . You will be invited to meet any potential guests before a rematch is confirmed.

The rematch process:
1. Decide you want to get involved
2. Record your interest here
3. Await notification of matching and meet any potential guests
4. Complete checks required under the Homes for Ukraine scheme

If you know of a Ukrainian individual or family who are already on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme that you would like to host, please contact homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk  for council checks to be completed and the rematch to be arranged.

Thank You payments before April 2025

Sponsors and hosts under the Home s for Ukraine scheme are entitled to monthly payment of £600, which Councils across Surrey have agreed to increase from the national allowance of £350 for the first year and £500 for the second year of stay until April 2025. This is to compensate for the rise in bills that you may incur while hosting.

Thank You payments after 1 April 2025

UK government confirmed Thank You payments for all hosts (both Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension scheme) will be paid at a flat rate of £350 a month from 1 April 2025. Although Councils across Surrey have agreed to continue to top up Thank You payments to a level of £600 until 31 March 2026, after which they will revert to £350. When your guest applies for a Ukraine Permission Extension visa, we ask you to contact us at homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk to make a new Thank You payment claim.

How Thank You payments are made

The Thank You payments are made in arrears, for as long as you are hosting your guest(s) and provided that the accommodation is of a suitable standard. They can be paid for a maximum of 36 months after your guest(s) first arrived in the UK if they applied for their visa before 19 February 2024. If your guest applied for their visa after 19 February 2024, their visa length will be granted for 18 months and the Thank You payments will continue for this time. You cannot charge the guest(s) you are sponsoring/hosting rent.

Guests have got a right to work in the UK as well as are entitled to any benefits that a UK citizen would be such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit. Therefore, you will not be expected to pay for your guests’ food, transport or living costs, although you are welcome to contribute to this if you would like to.

The Thank You payments are tax free. For sponsors who receive Universal Credit or benefit payments, the Thank You payment will not affect your benefit entitlement. Thank You payments will not affect any council tax discounts for single occupancy. You will be eligible for the first monthly payment once your guests have arrived and we have completed all the appropriate checks. You will receive information directly from us to apply for the Thank You payment.

Please note:

• If your guest(s) arrived before 15th of any month we will  pay the Thank You payment.
• If your guest(s) left forever before 15th of any month we will not pay the Thank You payment.
• If your guest(s) are temporarily absent, we will not pay the Thank You payment if this period is more than 28 days.

If your guests move out of your home for any reason, you must notify us by emailing homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk at your earliest convenience.

Please see the full government guidance here.

If your guests are away for more than 4 consecutive weeks in a single period, or it has been 4 consecutive weeks and they have not returned, you will need to notify us via homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk. If you are sponsoring multiple guests, you must only notify us of their absence if all guests are absent for more than 4 consecutive weeks, or it has been 4 consecutive weeks and they have not returned.

Once you have notified us of a guest’s absence the Thank You payments will be paused. You should also let us know when your guests return and the Thank You payments will be reinstated.

Please read more information about how to prepare for your guest’s absence and what to do if your guest intends to leave their child here.

Changes to the Homes for Ukraine scheme

The Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme will continue to function, but new applicants will be granted 18 months leave to remain from 19th of February 2024(rather than 3 years prior to this date).

Amended criteria for sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme mean that for applications submitted after 3pm on 19 February 2024, sponsors must have British or Irish citizenship, settled status or indefinite leave to remain in the UK. See Guest eligibility, application process and checks: Homes for Ukraine  (updated 19 February 2024); and Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament (19 Feb 2024).

Closure of Ukraine Family Scheme

The Ukraine Family Scheme is now closed to new applicants as of 3pm 19 February 2024. This means that new applications to come to the UK can only be made under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. All applications under the Family Scheme that were received before the closure of the scheme will be decided under the previous rules for that scheme. (See 5.9 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules .

Ukraine Extension Scheme

The Ukraine Extension Scheme will close for most new applicants on 16 May 2024; but applications can still be made under this Scheme after 16 May 2024 for children born in the UK to parents who have permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes. Such children can be granted leave in line with their parent(s). See Ukraine Extension Scheme (updated 19 Feb 2024), pp 8-9.

Ending the use of Permission to Travel Letters

Please note, that from 00:01 GMT on 13 February 2025, individuals will no longer be able to travel to or enter the UK using an open-ended permission to travel (PTT) letter without accompanying permission to enter the UK. From this time, PTT letters will cease to be valid for travel on airlines, trains or ferries, and individuals carrying them without permission will be refused entry at the UK border and may be returned to their place of departure.

Please read more information on the government website: If you have a permission to travel letter.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

The UK government announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE). The UPE scheme will open to applications at 09:00 GMT on 4 February 2025.

A Ukrainian national, or the family member of a Ukrainian national, living in the UK with existing permission on one of the Ukraine schemes, may be eligible to apply for UPE to continue living in the UK for up to a further 18 months. It will be free to apply to the new visa route. Eligible individuals will need to make an application online. If the application is successful, Ukrainians will be able to continue to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.

You can read more information about the Ukraine Permission extension scheme on the government page: Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

You can access a detailed guide for hosts on the government page.

Please email homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk to let us know the expected arrival date of your guests.

Following your confirmation of arrival, we will arrange a welcome visit. At this time we will initiate the £200 welcome payment to each guest and assist with first steps after arrival.

You may show your guests around your local area and start by ensuring that your guests know where essential places such as supermarkets, shops, GP practices, and hospitals are. You may also wish to show them places they can visit in their free time, such as parks, cafes, and museums. We will notify you about community events for Ukrainian guests.

You can use Google Translate or Say Hi to improve communication with your guests if there are language difficulties. You may also wish to make use of the ‘conversation’ feature on both apps, which gives you close to real-time translation as you converse with someone in different languages.

You can help your guests with some first steps in the UK if you wish so (detailed in guest’s section “First Steps in the UK”), although we will always be there to help, just get in touch with us via homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk.

We encourage guests and host families to discuss the hosting arrangements on ongoing basis to keep each other informed. If you would like us to support you in having these conversations, please email us at homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk. The Homes for Ukraine team will also be carrying out follow-up visits to hosts and guests every 6 months.

We would recommend guests to develop a plan about possible options such as:

• continuing hosting arrangements if both host and guest are happy
• finding a new host (re-matching)
• renting private accommodation or switching to lodging
• contacting MVDC for alternative options

Whatever you decide to do, please keep us informed. It will make it easier for us to offer support if your guest is moving on or to continue make the Thank you payments if you decide to carry on hosting.

You may decide to ask your guest to become a ‘lodger’ rather than a Home for Ukraine guest.

In the table below you can find the main differences between being a host and becoming a landlord options.

Being a Host

• Type of arrangement: Home for Ukraine scheme
• Thank You payments:
  • Monthly payments from the Government: £350
  • From MVDC: £250
  • In total: £600
• Eligibility: Required to complete Council checks under the Homes for Ukraine scheme (DBS and accommodation check)
• Time: Hosting for 6-36 months
• Bills: Hosts can’t take any payments for the rent, but adult guests can make contributions towards household bills.
• Deposit: No deposit

Become a Landlord (with a lodger)

• Type of arrangement/contract: Contract on private basis (between the lodger and the landlord)
• Rent payments: Payments from the lodger’s salary or Universal Credit; landlords decide how much rent to charge. Thank You payments from the local authority will no longer be available.
• Eligibility: Landlord will not be required to complete DBS or accommodation checks, but will have other rights and responsibilities
• Time: Decide length of short-term contract and notice period, and agree in lodging agreement
• Bills: Costs agreed in lodging agreement can cover bills expenses
• Deposit: Landlords can choose to charge a deposit

Tell us if you are changing to a lodging arrangement or if you are interested in offering space to a lodger from Ukraine, please email us: homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk

For more information about having a lodger please follow this link

You would have to consider whether there would be any implications as to whether you are a homeowner or renter (discuss with your mortgage lender or landlord), whether any benefits that you receive would be affected by lodger income, any sort of legal or other costs related to setting up a lodging arrangement, any implications around insurance, ensuring no ‘overcrowding’.

Your property may be classed as an House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)  if you let rooms to at least 3 people.

Lodging income may have tax implications, please go to Gov.uk  for more information.

When you decide to switch from hosting arrangement to lodging, please inform us at homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk of the date when your hosting arrangements finish. We will then update our records and cease the Thank You payments.

We understand that the hosting arrangement might end for many different reasons. If your circumstances have changed or you cannot reach a resolution and you would like to end the hosting arrangements, please contact us by email: homesforukraine@molevalley.gov.uk.

There are different ways we could help your guest. For example, we can offer:

• advice
• emergency housing
• re-match (find a different host for your guest)
• assistance into private rented sector accommodation

Please try to give your guests as much notice as you can, ideally two months notice.

We can help to find a new placement for the guest, and if you still want to host, we may be able to rematch you with a new guest, if that’s appropriate.