Information for hosts
If you're a new or existing host, the information in this section will support you through the process.
We would encourage all existing sponsors and guests to direct anyone interested in becoming a host to register their interest through the government website. Once a match is made the process will be properly managed and monitored by the council to support all parties.
If you are thinking about hosting guests, there are a few things to consider. The government web page is a great place to start and you can read about the process of becoming a host.
Once you've made your decision to host, you'll need to register with the Homes for Ukraine scheme. That can be done by checking the property suitability guide
When you have sponsored for six months your thoughts may turn to what happens next?
You can read the information provided by the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the choices available to you. Not everyone will extend a guests stay or feel that hosting is something that can be offered long term.
Guides for sponsors are regularly updated and include eligibility criteria, applying as a sponsor, advice on making your guests welcome in the UK, as well as helping your guests with the next steps.
There is advice here on meeting your guests and helping them to settle in.
If you're planning to host guests under the age of 18 years old without a legal guardian you must adhere to this guidance.
Thank you payments to hosts
To help us get support to guests as soon as possible please remember to notify us once your guest has arrived by contacting your designated delivery officer or email: HomesforUkraine@nottscc.gov.uk
Once you have confirmed their arrival, we'll send a request for your bank details via a secure Nottinghamshire County Council email address.
The email will provide you with a safe link to provide your bank details. It is important that you respond to this as soon as possible so we can arrange your payments.
Please do not provide your bank details via any other route.
You will also need to make sure that you complete the declaration form after your guest has arrived.
You will be unable to claim a ‘thank you payment’ until this form has been completed alongside all other required checks.
As per the Homes for Ukraine: Ukraine Permission Extension scheme - guidance for sponsors (GOV.UK) published on 21/01/25, all thank you payments will be paid at a flat rate of £350 per month, per property with effect from 1 April 2025.
This includes thank you payments to hosts where the guest is on the Homes for Ukraine (HFU) scheme or Ukrainian Permission Extension (UPE) scheme.
Your main 'thank you payment' will only be paid on your first month if you have hosted for 16 days or more. It will be paid on your last month if the combined total of days between your first and last month's hosting is 16 days or more.
This payment is optional. If you do not wish to claim it you do not need to fill in the host declaration form.
Additional ‘thank you’ payments for hosts
To recognise the commitment and dedication of our hosts, Nottinghamshire County Council has chosen to uplift the £350 payment made by the Government between 01 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. This is a discretionary increase to the existing ‘thank you payment’ and includes two parts:
If your guest has been in the UK 12 months or longer, your £350 payment will be uplifted to £500 per month. You will receive an extra £75 per person, per month 'Cost of Living' payment.
The £500 uplift will take effect in the payment month 1 year from guest arrival date. The 'Cost of Living' payment is paid regardless of days spent hosting in the first or last month.
This discretionary increase is only in effect from 01 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 and will be reviewed after this date.
Requirement of Guest(s) absence notifications
You must let the County Council know of any changes in your hosting arrangements. This includes any guest absences longer than 28 days from your property, as this will affect your 'Cost of Living Payment'. If you do not let the Council know of these changes you may be overpaid. Any overpayments will need to be returned. All hosts must let us know of any guest absences by emailing homesforukraine@nottscc.gov.uk
It is your duty as a host to understand your guests' occupancy of your property and report any changes accordingly.
Please note that the Host Declaration From overrides the Government's statement that 'If you are sponsoring multiple guests, you must only notify your council of their absence if all guests are absent for more than 4 consecutive weeks'. By completing our Host Declaration form you are agreeing to let the Council know of any guest absences longer than 28 days, not just instances of all guest absences.
As more people reach six and even 12 months of hosting, there are still people arriving in the UK and new sponsors who are about to start hosting.
We believe that by exchanging experiences we can support one another and those who are about to start this journey. Here are some thoughts from current sponsors about what they have learned from hosting:
- ‘Hosting will work best if you are fairly relaxed about things, enjoy having a houseful of people, and also have enough space for some privacy for you and the family you are hosting’.
- ‘We have enjoyed learning about our guests lives and introducing them to British culture, events and places to visit. We provided them with an 'about us' information sheet at the beginning, including some basic house rules, but in fact we have all adapted very easily to living together.’
- ‘Understand that you will be (in most circumstances) not just providing sanctuary, you will be setting someone up with an entirely new life. So be prepared for many weeks of admin tasks from national insurance numbers, through to childcare advice, bank accounts and job searches. If you have a close family network, then asking them to take on specific tasks will help you.’
- ‘Look for help and guidance from local groups or organisations who've already been supporting Ukrainian guests. They can be very useful pointing new hosts towards local resources such as English language courses, job clubs and local council help’.
- ‘If you are hosting in a smaller town or village, be aware that your guest will likely need some help with transport, particularly opening bank accounts/claiming Universal Credit, getting to job interviews etc. If you have difficulty with this, but have friends/neighbours who admire you for hosting and tell you they wished they could do it, but don't have the space, maybe they can help out with occasional transport?’
New policy changes on sponsor “thank you” payments eligibility and unaccompanied minors have been released on the gov.uk website. The following updates came into effect on 1st October 2024:
- for all new applications for thank you payments (both rematches and new arrivals), sponsors who are in (or form) a close family relationship with their guest will no longer be eligible for payment. This change applies to payment claims taking place from 1st October, irrespective of visa application dates.
- a Ukrainian child already living in the UK with a close family member/s only, will not be treated as a Homes for Ukraine ‘sponsorship’ anymore, and hence the sponsor will not be eligible for thank you payments.
Close family relationships include: a spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner; a parent; a parent-in-law; a son or daughter; a son- or daughter-in-law; a step-son or daughter; a sibling; a grandparent; or the spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner of any of these people. For unaccompanied minors, this also includes an aunt or uncle of the child.
Sponsors are responsible for informing the local authority of their circumstances. Funding for councils: Homes for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
