When you have sponsored for 6 months: Homes for Ukraine

This guidance is in addition to the information and guidance provided by your local council.

We encourage you to talk to your guest 4 months after their arrival in the UK, about the options for their next steps, including:

• continuing sponsorship
• finding your guest a new host (rematching)
• renting private accommodation
• contacting your local council for alternative accommodation

Whatever you decide to do at the 6-month point, tell your local council 2 months before. It will make it easier for them to offer support if your guest is moving on or to continue make the thank you payments if you continue to host. You should continue to keep the council informed, especially if anything changes after this point. You can search for your local council.

This guidance does not apply to children who are sponsored to come to the UK by their parent or legal guardian. The parent or legal guardian must offer accommodation for the duration of their child’s visa.

Continuing sponsorship

If you are able to continue sponsoring for longer than 6 months that is brilliant. We ask everyone who is hosting guests, particularly those coming up to their fourth month of sponsoring, to continue hosting their guests until they are ready to move on, where that is possible.

Until 1 April 2025, you will receive £350 a month during the first 12 months of your guests’ stay. This increases to £500 once your guest has been in the UK for 12 months to help sponsors/hosts who are able to continue sponsoring. After 1 April 2025, sponsors/hosts will be eligible to receive £350 a month per household, irrespective of how long guests have been in the UK.

If a guest is in a sponsorship arrangement when granted permission under the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, their sponsor/host will be asked to reapply for thank you payments if they wish to continue to receive a monthly payment. Eligible sponsors/hosts of those previously on Homes for Ukraine visas will be able to claim thank you payments of £350 a month, for the 18 months that guests are covered by the UPE visa. See further guidance on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

If you arrange to host a guest without the agreement of the local council then you won’t be able to claim the thank you payment, because this is outside of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

However, we understand that not everyone can continue to offer accommodation after 6 months and guests might want to find their own accommodation. Where that is the case, we encourage you to work with your guests to develop a plan for how they will move on.

Finding a new host (rematching)

If your guests are not ready to leave sponsorship and move into their own alternative accommodation, but you can no longer accommodate them, they may want to find a new host.

You could help your guests to find a new host, for example through:

• someone that you already know
• a recognised provider
• local faith groups
• community groups
• charities
• other organisations

The local council may also be able to help them find a new host.

Once your guests have found a new host, it is very important that they contact the local council so they can make the necessary checks, and to approve the arrangement. You can search for the local council. This should happen before they move in with a new host.

The new sponsor/host will then be eligible for the thank you payments:

• Until 1 April 2025, sponsors/hosts are eligible to receive thank you payments of £350 per household during the first 12 months of a guest’s arrival in the UK, this increases to £500 a month once guests have been in the UK for 12 months.
• After 1 April 2025, sponsors/hosts will be eligible to receive £350 a month per household, irrespective of how long guests have been in the UK.
• Eligible sponsors/hosts of those previously on Homes for Ukraine visas will be able to claim thank you payments of £350 a month, for the 18 months that guests are covered by a UPE visa. However, rematching will be available on UPE only when councils assess that a homelessness duty would otherwise arise. See further guidance on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

If they want to move to another area of the UK, they must tell the local council before moving. The current council will then contact the council in the new area they want to move to, so they can make any necessary checks and can confirm the new living arrangements are suitable. If they do not do this, the guest could be at risk and the new host will not be entitled to the ‘thank you’ payment.

If your current guests move out, you can host another guest and receive the monthly thank you payment.

You can find out more information if you sponsor a child living in the UK without a parent or legal guardian, as there is a separate process for rematching children.

As of 1 October 2024, close family members of Homes for Ukraine visa holders are not eligible to start claiming thank you payments for hosting them. This applies to both new arrivals and those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member, as well as new thank you payment claims under UPE.

Renting private accommodation

There is high demand for private rental accommodation and social housing. Some councils are using the funding they have received from the government to facilitate access to private rented accommodation for their Ukrainian guests – offering, for instance, 12 month rent guarantees or paying rent in advance. If your guests are ready to rent but are facing challenges getting into the PRS, they should contact the council to understand what schemes and offers of support are available in your area. You can search for the local council.

As a sponsorship comes to an end, you might want to talk with your guest about moving to a more formal arrangement, if your guest would still like to live in your property or move to another property that you own. This would mean that you may need to become a landlord, which could require you to take on more responsibilities. Your rights and responsibilities could be different depending on whether the guest remains living in your property or moves into another property you own.

Information on what this means is available in the how to let in England guide, and in:

• Renting out your property
• Rent a room in your home

This will help guests when they are ready and able to move out of sponsorship into independent accommodation.

If guests are considering renting their own accommodation, they can read more information about their rights and responsibilities as a tenant.

There is also Information about renting in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Contacting your local council for alternative accommodation

If your guest can’t take advantage of any of the options above and you are concerned about where they will live after your sponsorship ends, contact your local council.

We have made arrivals from Ukraine under one of the government’s schemes eligible for housing assistance from day one of their arrival. There is high demand for social housing in most parts of the country and so even those with priority for social housing may have to wait for some time before a home which meets their needs becomes available.