Thank you payments to sponsors/hosts

Sponsors/hosts of Ukrainian guests on a Homes for Ukraine visa are eligible for a monthly payment from the UK government as a thank you for hosting.

Thank you payments to sponsors/hosts will only be issued where the guest and sponsor/host are not in a close family relationship. Guests who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member are classified as having left sponsorship under the Homes for Ukraine scheme rather than a rematch.

The definition of a close family member includes:

• a spouse, or civil or unmarried partner
• a parent
• a parent-in-law
• a son or daughter
• a son- or daughter-in-law
• a stepson or daughter
• a sibling
• a grandparent; or
• the spouse, or civil or unmarried partner of any of these people

For unaccompanied minors, this also includes an aunt or uncle of the child.

Councils should determine whether a close family relationship exists between a sponsor/host and guest before issuing thank you payments. Councils have discretion over what information they use to determine this.

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Any increasetop-up payment a council chooses to make will be tax free if the payment is made to a sponsor/host hosting a guest through the Homes for Ukraine or UPE sponsorship route, and if the payments were made directly from a council in respect of that sponsorship/hosting arrangement. They will not affect benefit entitlement.

Administering payments to sponsors/hosts

Councils will issue these thank you payments to sponsors/hosts once they are content that the sponsor/host meets the suitability requirements of the scheme.

Central government will allocate funding for these payments but expects councils to cover administration costs from the tariff, including costs of fraud prevention.

Sponsors/hosts that have been marked as unsuitable in Share Homes for Ukraine (“Share”) after central government or council checks will not be eligible to receive the thank you payments because the sponsorship arrangement will not be recognised.

Where fraud is identified, councils should use their best endeavours to claw the money back applying their usual counter-fraud and debt collection practices. Councils must ensure that any cases of fraud or error are not included in their claim for funding, regardless of whether monies have been recovered.

How payments are made

We recognise that councils require flexibility to issue payments using the systems best suited to their local arrangements.

Therefore, councils should build in payments as part of their existing workflow processes with sponsors/hosts, however they best see fit.

However, councils must ensure that they adhere to the following conditions of payment:

• only the named lead sponsor/host is eligible for the thank you payment

• all eligible sponsors/hosts can claim a flat rate of £350, regardless of how long their guest has been in the UK

• only one monthly payment will be given per residential address, regardless of the number of guests being hosted, size, or location of the property

• payments must only be issued to those lead sponsors/hosts where it is confirmed that they have passed the necessary property and safeguarding checks

• fraud checks must be conducted in line with the council’s anti-fraud processes

• lead sponsors/hosts are not eligible for the monthly payment if they are charging the guest rent

Those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member are classified as having left sponsorship under the Homes for Ukraine scheme rather than a rematch and thank you payments should not be issued in these cases.

Whilst there is flexibility for how councils can deliver thank you payments, examples of how this might be conducted could include:

• confirming with the sponsor/host that they would like to receive the monthly payments

• making sure the sponsor/host signs a self-declaration form confirming all details are correct, that they are not charging rent, and that they agree to notify the council of any changes

• conducting all safeguarding and property checks before administering the payment

• conducting the necessary fraud checks, such as checking the sponsor/host’s identity, cross-referencing this information against relevant council databases to confirm the correct name and address have been provided, requesting a bank statement from the sponsor/host, and seeking evidence of the guest’s visa

• paying the sponsor/host monthly in arrears directly into their bank account ensuring that the sponsor/host and guest are not in a close family relationship (see the definition of close family member).

The onus is on the sponsor/host to notify the council of any changes related to sponsorship arrangements. Councils should make sure that this is clearly understood by the sponsor/host and that they understand who they should report any change of circumstances to.

We recommend councils conduct at least one in-person check at the 6-month mark, primarily from a fraud perspective to check the guest is still living in the accommodation, though this is not mandatory and is up to their discretion. Where other property or safeguarding checks are occurring, these can be combined with verifying that the guests still remain at the property.

Councils can use the advisory sponsor declaration form (ODT, 17.2 KB) to ask sponsors to confirm they understand this requirement.

Where a sponsor/host has been deemed unsuitable, but the guest continues to reside with them, they will not be eligible for the thank you payment as they will not be recognised as a sponsor/host under Homes for Ukraine.

Where guests move out before the end of a calendar month, the sponsor/host is eligible to claim the monthly payment if the guest has lived in their accommodation for at least half of the month of departure.

Payments across different council areas

The council where the guest resides is responsible for paying the monthly thank you payment to the sponsor/host.

If the sponsor/host is within another council area, the two councils should work together to ensure the necessary fraud checks are conducted.

The council responsible for issuing the payment will need to adhere to all the grant conditions but will likely need to rely on the sponsor/host’s council to cross reference the information against their records.

Check if rent is being charged

Councils should ask the sponsor/host and guest whether rent is being charged and whether the guest is being asked to provide contributions to food or utilities.

Councils should use their discretion to assess whether these contributions are excessive and, if they constitute rent in practice, councils can decline to make the thank you payment.

Councils are responsible for the prevention of fraud related to the thank you payment at a local level, and this should be conducted in line with usual fraud prevention activities. Costs of counter-fraud activity related to the operation of the scheme are covered within the tariff.

It is recommended that councils conduct a 10% sample of monitoring checks for these payments. Over time councils may wish to raise or lower this depending on the level of risk they identify. These checks can be combined with any other ongoing checks.

Should members of the public suspect fraud is taking place, they should direct their concerns to the relevant council to investigate further.