Before you register
We’re required by the government to carry out a series of check on sponsors and their households to prioritise the safety of guests arriving from Ukraine.
We understand there’s an urgent requirement to support people in Ukraine, but the sponsor schemes don’t replace and can’t conflict with our overarching statutory duties to adult and child protection and keeping people safe.
This page provides an overview of the process including what happens after you’ve registered and been matched with a Ukrainian guest or guests.
National information and guidance
You may also find the following information helpful in relation to your decision to register as a sponsor:
- UK government guidance for sponsors and frequently asked questions
- Scottish Government's Super Sponsor Scheme information and guidance for hosts providing accommodation
Register as a sponsor
To become a sponsor, and to qualify for any payments and support, you must register on the Homes for Ukraine website, managed and run by the UK government.
You must be prepared for us to carry out security and criminal record checks on:
- you, and your spouse or partner if they live with you
- other members of your household over 16 if your guests will live in your home with you
- any other joint owners of the property your guests will live if it's self-contained
We'll also need to assess the property to meet basic minimum criteria, and you'll need to be able to host your guests for a minimum of six months.
Check with your mortgage and home insurance providers that you won’t be breaking their terms and conditions. Read information about this from the Association of British Insurers.
If you rent, you must have permission from the property owner/landlord, and they in turn will need to ensure that by providing permission it does not break the terms of their insurance.
You should give careful thought to your ability to:
- provide a safe environment
- cope with young people and children, if offering to host families
- host people who have suffered hardship and trauma
You should also consider if the location of your accommodation is suitable in terms of easy access to services, for example, public transport, schools and shops.
What else you need to think about
You need to be prepared to support your guests, to get them set up and settled into life in the Borders. You can find information about what this might involve on our website.
This will be a big commitment, so think very carefully about this before you register.
Council Tax
Council Tax and Council Tax Reduction legislation has been amended for hosting arrangements so that a householder who accommodates a person, or persons, who left Ukraine due to the Russian invasion will not lose their Single Person Discount.
We have also made changes so that if one or more people who left Ukraine due to the Russian invasion are the sole occupants of a hosted property, such as a second home, the property will be exempt from council tax.
The same will apply if Ukrainians move in to live in a hosted property which is already exempt under paragraph 10 of schedule 1 of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) (Scotland) Order, for example because it is the sole or main residence of a person who is a student.
As noted above the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme has been amended so that the Homes for Ukraine scheme’s ‘thank you’ payment will not be counted as income or capital when deciding how much CTR a household should get. The status and income of Ukrainian residents will also not affect the level of CTR a household receives.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction
The monthly thank you payment will be disregarded from your income calculation if you receive housing benefit and/or council tax reduction.