Living with your host
When you start to feel settled, talk to your host about how you can live together. You should talk about agreements for things such as:
- using shared areas of the house, like the kitchen and dining room
- sharing housework, like cleaning and cooking
- rules your hosts would like you to follow about smoking, drinking alcohol, noise or anything else
Adjusting to life in the UK
Your host will be able to help you settle in the UK. They want to make sure that you’re comfortable and have everything you need.
They may be able to take you to get these things or tell you where you can buy them.
Your host will also know about the area and can help you to find places such as:
- local schools for your children
- doctors
- dentists
- shops
- churches
- community centres
- council offices
They might not know about everything you want, but they should be able to tell you who can help.
The local council need to make more checks on your host and their home to make sure that you are safe. These checks include Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and can happen at different stages.
Someone from the local council will visit you soon after you arrive. This is to check that you got here safely, that you are comfortable and that the home you are living in is suitable.
If you have questions about local services, you can ask the people from the council when they visit. They might not have the answer but will tell you who can help.
What to expect from your host
Your host will receive a monthly payment as a thank you for hosting. Hosts will receive £500 a month. This increases to £650 for hosts providing homes for 5 or more guests.
Hosts are not expected to use this money to pay for food, or other support, for you. Your host cannot charge you rent while you are staying with them. They may ask you to make a contribution towards food and other expenses during your stay.
If you think you are being asked to contribute too much, speak to your local council.
Your £200 arrival payment is paid to you. This is to help you get some essentials when you arrive.
If your living arrangements aren't working out
Sometimes things do go wrong. It may be something simple that you can resolve with your host. If your host asks you to leave or you want to, speak to your local council who will help you find somewhere else to live.
There are many ways your local council could help you. They may offer:
- advice (how to talk to your host, or what options you have)
- emergency housing
- to rematch you with a new host
The help they offer depends on how urgent your needs are and if you are homeless.
You may get help sooner if:
- you or someone you live with is pregnant
- dependent children live with you
- you are vulnerable, for example because of old age or disability
If you need help to resolve an issue or to find a new place to live, please contact: