Homes for Ukraine
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, four million people are expected to flee their homes as a result.
We wanted to let you know how we’re supporting the resettlement efforts and how you can help.
How we’re helping
For a number of years we’ve worked with various refugee resettlement charities and through them, and alongside the Home Office, we’ve provided homes for Syrian refugees - this has been really successful. We’re currently working with local authorities to support those who fled Afghanistan recently and will, of course, work with our partners to find homes and support for those fleeing Ukraine.
How you can help
The Government has launched Homes for Ukraine – a scheme which will let anyone in the UK - of any nationality - host refugees in their homes for at least six months.
We’ve had a number of customers get in touch to ask if they’re able to host Ukrainian refugees and our answer is simple – absolutely.
If you are interested, please take the time to read the Government’s information page and their FAQ page, as these should answer most of the questions you may have.
Things to remember
If you take part in the scheme, you shouldn’t ask for any kind of payment or charge to any individuals you host. The Government has committed to offering people who provide accommodation through the scheme an optional ‘thank you’ payment of £350 per month.
You should also consider a few things before you make this decision as part of your tenancy conditions. We also expect that all customers wishing to offer rooms in your home have satisfactorily covered the following points.
Financial assistance with your rent
The Government has confirmed the £350 will be non-taxable and will not count as income for benefit claims. Also, the refugee will not be treated as living with you.
This means they will not count as occupying a spare bedroom (if you are affected by the under-occupancy deduction), but it does also mean lots of negative effects are avoided too. You should note that the government has not yet confirmed this is the case for Universal Credit but we do think it will be the same as other benefits.
If you claim benefits and would like further advice, please contact our Financial Wellbeing Team.
Other things relevant to your home
There may be specific arrangements around how your home was let to you, which could be related to age, or if you receive care or support services. You would have been told about this when you moved into your home, but if not, please get in touch to check.
Insurance
Check whether any insurance policies on your home or contents could be affected by hosting.
Letting us know
If, after reading all of this information, you want to take part in the scheme, please complete the form below – it should only take a couple of minutes. Once we’ve reviewed your request, we’ll aim to get back to you with our decision within ten working days.