Finding and checking a Homes for Ukraine host

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Distinguish a sponsor from a host

For a new Homes for Ukraine application, the sponsor participates in the visa process; a host provides accommodation and may accept someone already in the UK. Under the official guidance ↗, new sponsorship normally requires a British or Irish citizen or someone settled in the UK. A separate exception covers a parent or legal guardian sponsoring their own child while holding Ukraine scheme permission.

Check the applicant's eligibility for the scheme first. Finding a room does not replace eligibility, a visa or the required checks. A child travelling without their parent has a separate process that cannot be replaced by an ordinary agreement between adults.

Find help and discuss the arrangement

Start with the GOV.UK Recognised Provider list ↗. Matching services are free, but an organisation cannot guarantee a preferred location or replace immigration advice. If already in the UK and seeking new accommodation, check separately whether the organisation handles rematching: this is not always part of its service.

Before agreeing, have a video conversation and discuss the address, household members, sleeping space, kitchen and bathroom access, transport, schools, work and pets. Agree the hosting period, visitors, privacy, household costs and how disagreements will be addressed. Record the understanding in writing that both sides can understand.

Complete checks and understand payments

The council must assess suitable accommodation and undertake the necessary safeguarding and DBS checks. When moving to a new host within the UK, contact the council before moving in ↗ so the address and required checks can be approved. A social-media message is not official accommodation approval.

Thank you payments go to an eligible host, not the guest. In October 2026, guidance lists £350 monthly per household until 31 December 2026, with a published reduction to £100 from 1 January 2027. For guests on UPE, payment eligibility is limited to 18 months from their first move onto UPE. Close-family exclusions also apply. Discuss any reasonable contribution towards utilities actually used beforehand; do not confuse it with a promise of a government payment to the guest.

If hosting does not work out

Contact the council early if the arrangement is ending or living together has become impossible. When moving to another area, the current council should liaise with the new council to check arrangements. Help with independent renting depends on local programmes; immediate social housing is not guaranteed.

If safety is threatened, use emergency assistance and local support rather than waiting for the agreed period to end. Keep control of your passport and UKVI account. Do not pay an unknown intermediary for a guaranteed host or visa decision, or publish family documents in an open group.