Living With a Host

This page is designed for guests and hosts on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 18-month Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) and the newly announced 24-month Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE). To understand each visa, their background and key information please head to our Visas, Sponsoring and Hosting page.

When Ukrainian guests initially arrive to their hosted accommodation, some hosts find it useful to sign an agreement with their guests so that everyone is clear on the terms of their stay. Written agreements can help with setting boundaries and outlining dos and don’ts for both parties. Certain mortgage lenders may also ask for an agreement to be signed (check with your lender).

This is not a tenancy agreement, this would be a document simply to clarify ground rules of the hosting arrangement.

If your guests are sharing accommodation with you, for example using guest bedrooms and sharing a kitchen or bathroom with you, the Excluded Licence Agreement is most suitable:

• English
• Ukrainian
• Russian

If your guests are living in self-contained accommodation (such as a holiday let), and the host does not live on-site, and the guests pay council tax, bills, and have exclusive possession of the accommodation, you may want to use the example agreement below:

• Example agreement for Homes for Ukraine (self-contained accommodation)

All hosts on the Homes for Ukraine scheme have made a commitment to offer accommodation to their guests for at least six months.

In most cases we know that hosting relationships are being sustained for 6-months or longer. However, in sometimes there are reasons why a hosting arrangement may need to end at or before the 6-month point.

Between 4-6 months into the hosting arrangement, hosts and guests are encouraged to have an open and honest conversation about future intentions and next steps.

If this has not happened yet in your arrangement and the guest has been staying with the you for several months, we encourage you both to have this conversation. Each arrangement will be different and it may be that the host is happy for the arrangement to continue for a longer period of time.

We ask you to email homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk regarding your plans so we can update our records and support you should you need it.

Government guidance for hosts and guests sets out the options available to Homes for Ukraine guests and hosts who need to end the arrangement after six months.

Some options available to guests are:

• Where possible, to continue in the existing arrangement. The host’s monthly Thank You payments will continue for the duration of their Homes for Ukraine visa and for those that extend their stay, until the guest has been on their Ukraine Permission Extension visa for 18 months. Thank You payments end after this point.
• Guests and Hosts may decide to enter a private rental arrangement where the guest rents accommodation directly from their host.
• If the existing arrangement cannot continue, a guest can find a new host within or outside of Lincolnshire. Many people find new hosts through faith groups, other community groups, their work or their current host. If they find a new host this way, please email homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk with details so we can start the necessary suitability checks. You can also find more advice on how to find a new host within the Government guidance.
• If a guest is considering independent accommodation, they can look to rent private accommodation within or outside of Lincolnshire, please see our Privately Rental page.
• If it is safe and they wish to do so, guests might choose to Ukraine. Please inform homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk if you intend to do this.
• Social housing has a very long waiting list and families can wait many months to be offered a property and, when offered, it may not be in the area you want to live. Guests can explore this option and get more information on our Social Housing page.

Whatever your next steps are please email homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk to inform them of your intentions.

If you are hosting guests with Homes for Ukraine or 18-month Ukraine Permission Extension visas you may be eligible to receive a monthly Thank You payment. For more information on Thank You Payments, please see our dedicated information: Visas, Sponsoring and Hosting.

Hosts who are receiving monthly Thank You payments cannot charge their guest rent. However, hosts may request a reasonable contribution towards household bills, such as gas, electric and water to help cover shared living costs.

Following the guest’s 18 month Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa, the guest can apply for a further 24 month Ukraine Permission Extension visa.

After 18 months on a Ukraine Permission Extension visa, the monthly thank you payments will stop. Hosts and guests should discuss their future plans well in advance of the guest's 18 month UPE visa expiring to ensure everyone has time to consider their options.

For some guests, continuing to live with their host may remain the best solution. Others may choose to move into private rented accommodation, rent a room from their host, or explore other housing options that are available to them.

If either the host or guest is unsure about what will happen when their current visa approaches its expiry date, they are encouraged to seek advice from homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk and start planning as early as possible.

On 15^th September 2026 the UK Government announced changes to the financial support available to Homes for Ukraine hosts.

Under previous arrangements, hosts received a monthly £350 Thank You Payment whilst supporting Ukrainian guests through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. For some hosts, these payments may end when guests move onto a 24-month Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa.

From 1st January 2027, the monthly Thank You Payment available to eligible hosts will reduce to £100 per month.

These changes may affect the affordability or willingness of some hosting arrangements continuing. Hosts and guests are encouraged to discuss the impact of reduced financial support and consider any future accommodation plans well in advance.

Where continuing a hosting arrangement is no longer feasible, there may be alternative options available, including:

• Moving to a formal rental/lodger arrangement with the current host.
• Seeking alternative private rented accommodation.

Early planning and open communication can help prevent difficulties later and ensure that guests have enough time to make informed decisions about their future housing arrangements.

If hosting without the monthly ‘thank you’ payment is no longer feasible, or at the reduced rate of £100 from 1st January 2027 hosts can consider switching to a formal rental/lodger arrangement. This would mean the guest(s) continue living in the accommodation but pay rent each month instead.

Guests are usually classed as lodgers (excluded occupiers) if they live in the same home as the host (landlord) and share facilities such as the kitchen, bathroom or living room.
In this situation:

• Lodgers have limited rights
• Either party can end the arrangement with reasonable notice, normally the length of the rental payment period (for example, one month if rent is paid monthly)

If the guest lives in the host’s home but does not share any living space, for example a self contained annex, or separate area with their own kitchen and bathroom then they may be a lodger with basic protection.
In this situation:

• They have slightly stronger rights
• Ending the arrangement requires formal written notice.

The UK Government has a helpful website about becoming a resident landlord. 

Both hosts and guests should discuss and agree the rental amount openly. The rent can be set at any level that reflects the space, covers costs for the host (landlord), and remains affordable for the guest. Hosts (landlords) may decide whether to request a deposit. If this is done, both parties should understand how it will be held and under what circumstances deductions may be made (lodger deposits do not use the Tenancy Deposit Scheme).

To help you get a sense of local room rental values, you may find it useful to:

• Compare local listings with similar properties on SpareRoom, which provides a rent checker where you can enter your postcode to see typical room rates in your area.
• Use independent guidance like the Lodger Guide, which explains how factors such as room size, condition, location, and included bills influence rent.

It may be worthwhile considering the “Rent A Room” scheme which is designed to simplify the process of renting out a room in your home and helps understand how much the landlord can earn per year tax-free from letting out furnished accommodation in their home.

Some guests may need to check whether they are eligible for an increase in their Universal Credit to help cover rental costs or contribute towards their rent. Benefit calculators and information about local housing allowances can help with this.

Guests can also contact the Job Centre/Department for Work and Pensions to discuss eligibility for help with housing costs. There is further information on the UK Government website.

We do not recommend that hosts switch to an informal/undocumented rental arrangement. Always use a written agreement to avoid disputes or misunderstandings and protect both parties.

What is council tax?

Council tax is a tax that all residents pay - the amount varies depending on the value of your property and the number of adults living in it (although full time students are ignored). Council tax is collected by district councils in Lincolnshire, not by the county council. You can check which district council you live in. 

Council tax when Ukrainians live in the same house as their host

It is important for hosts and guests to understand how council tax works in relation to the Homes For Ukraine scheme.

Any Ukrainian holding a Homes For Ukraine visa is ignored for council tax purposes. This is particularly relevant to single UK hosts who receive a single person discount on their council tax. 
For example if two Ukrainian guests are living in the same house as a single UK host, the Ukrainians will be ignored for council tax purposes and the single UK host will continue to be eligible for a 25% single person discount on their council tax. 

Where hosts are eligible to receive monthly thank you payments, Ukrainians will also be ignored for council tax for the first 18 months of the guests' Ukraine Permission Extension visas - for this period the guests will continue to be ignored (and a single host would continue to be eligible for a 25% single person discount).

Ukrainian guests will be able to apply for an extension to their Ukraine Permission Extension visa, granting them an additional 24 months to stay in the UK. However after the first 18 months on a Ukraine Permission Extension visa the monthly thank you payments will stop - and at the same time Ukrainian guests will no longer be ignored for council tax.

So if Ukrainian guests are still living with a host at the end of their first 18 months of being on a Ukraine Permission Extension visas, the council tax bill for that host may increase.

Council tax when Ukrainians live in a separate accommodation owned by their host

If Ukrainians are living in a separate house from their hosts - for example, if the host owns a second house that they are allowing Ukrainians to live in, in return for the host receiving a monthly thank you payment - then council tax will still need paying on this house. 

It is for the Ukrainians and their host to agree between them who should pay the council tax on this separate accommodation.

If the Ukrainians hold Homes For Ukraine visas then there will be a discount on the council tax (typically a 50% discount). 

If the Ukrainians hold Ukraine Permission Extension visas then for the first 18 months there will still be a discount on the council tax (probably 50%) whilst the host is receiving the monthly thank you payment.

After that, if the Ukrainians receive a 24 month extension to their Ukraine Permission Extension visa, the monthly thank you payments to the host will cease. At this point the Ukrainians will stop being ignored for council tax and the council tax bill is likely to increase (probably to 100% of the required amount).

Council tax when Ukrainians live in rented accommodation

When Ukrainians are renting a property, the council tax rules are different.

If Ukrainians live in rented accommodation they will need to start paying council tax from the day they move in. However the amount that Ukrainians have to pay will depend on what visa they hold.

If the Ukrainians still have Homes For Ukraine visas then they will receive a discount on their council tax (typically a 50% discount).

However when Ukrainians move to Ukraine Permission Extension visas they will no longer be eligible for a discount and will need to pay the full council tax.

Council tax support

People on low incomes are able to ask their district council for help paying their council tax bill - this is known as "council tax support". 

Ukrainians who are paying council tax may be eligible for council tax support - the details are usually published on the district council website explaining what the eligibility criteria are and what support may be available.

How the Homes For Ukraine team can help

As you can see, the rules around Ukrainians and council tax are complex. 

If you believe your council tax bill is incorrect, or if you need help understanding the rules or want to know what financial support you might be eligible for you can contact your district council - or you can email the Homes For Ukraine team on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk and ask us to help - we can help explain your circumstances to the district council.

In the unlikely event that you are asked to leave your host accommodation immediately, have nowhere else to go and need assistance, you can contact your local District Council Homeless Team.

Please also contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk so we can support you with your options.

• You will need to change your address with the following organisations:
• Bank
• GP (or you may need to register with a new GP if moving out of area)
• Dentist
• School (you may need to apply for a place with a new school if you are moving out of your current local area)
• Consider the implications for school transport
• Any bills (such as mobile phones), will need to be updated them with your new address
• DVLA if you have purchased a car in the UK you will need to update your vehicle log book
• If you pay for your vehicle tax by direct debit, you will have to tell the DVLA when you change your address. You can do this by telephone: 0300 790 6802
• If you have a UK driving licence you will need to change your address
• Car insurance