Information for guests
It’s crucial for you to read the information on this page if you would like to be hosted through Refugees at Home. We know there’s a lot to take in, but it’s essential for you to understand the support we offer and decide if it is suitable for you before we start working to assist you.
In the information below, we call the people who are offering a spare room ‘hosts’ and the people who ask to stay with them ‘guests.’
Once you’ve read it all, you can complete our guest application form by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.
About hosting
We have a network of volunteers across the UK. We have conducted checks on our hosts; they receive a home visit, and we take up character references for them. We work with hosts to understand who they are willing to host and for how long. We are the link between hosts and guests and it’s essential that we place guests with them who will be respectful of their homes and household and are working toward finding their own accommodation.
Our hosts are all volunteers. They open up their spare rooms to offer a short-term space to stay. They will not get paid for hosting you. Our hosts have diverse backgrounds and experiences; they will be different ages and have different households; some may have children or live alone or with housemates and many will have pets. Our hosts are diverse, and we see hosts with a range of religious beliefs, sexual orientation, nationality, and views.
It’s especially important that guests are respectful of the views and identities of their hosts, as well as the other way around.
Seeing if we can host you
We ask that you complete the referral form as fully as you can. The more we know about you, the quicker we can look to see if we can assist you. As you’ll be staying with one of our hosts, we must carefully assess whether this is a suitable option for you and we do this by asking you questions about your current and future circumstances. We know it can feel hard to talk to someone you don’t know but we will work to help you feel able to share with us. We won’t ever ask you what brought you to the UK or how you arrived or for the details you disclosed in your asylum claim. Information you share with us will be confidential, and we will share on a ‘need to know’ basis with our hosts if we are able to support you.
In order to be considered for hosting, we will need you to:
- Have refugee status or engaged with the UK asylum system.
- Not be entitled to statutory housing (council or asylum accommodation)
- Have no violent criminal convictions.
- Have no substance abuse issues.
- Be actively searching for more permanent accommodation.
- Be flexible in locations you will accept for hosting.
- be located in Ukraine if you are looking to be supported through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Once we have assessed whether we will be able to host you, we will ask you to complete our referral agreement and we will look to find a host for you. Please note that it isn’t always possible to place you in your exact preferred location, but we will do our best to get you as close to where you want to be as possible, but you should be prepared to utilise public transport.
If you find that you no longer need our help as we search for a host for you, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can assist someone else.
Setting up a placement
We will introduce you, or your referrer to your host. Some hosts might ask to meet you before you move in, and we encourage you to do this. You (or your referrer) should arrange the time for you to move in with the host, and you must make sure you keep them up to date if things change; hosts will be making special arrangements to make sure they are home to welcome you on arrival.
You may feel nervous about moving in with a stranger; this is totally understandable. When we introduce you, we’ll be sharing details about the household and how long you can stay with this host. You can use google maps to find out about the local area and how to get to the host.
When you arrive, take time to get to know where you will be staying and ask your host any questions you have about how they would like you to behave in their home.
Here are some things you may like to ask your host about:
- How to use things in the home such as the shower, washing machine or other facilities.
- Are they happy for you to use their Wi-Fi/broadband?
- Where you can store your things.
- What times they would be happy for you to use the kitchen.
During your stay
We encourage all hosts to have clear ‘house rules. These are important for a good hosting relationship and will help both you and your host feel comfortable. The rules will differ from host to host but are likely to include:
- Whether you will have a set of keys for their home. If you do, make sure you always keep these safely and tell your host straightaway if you lose them.
- Cooking times and what you can cook. Some of our hosts may be vegetarian or have dietary requirements such as keeping kosher or halal. They may ask you not to prepare specific foods in their home.
- If you are a smoker, where they will permit you to smoke. This is very unlikely to be in their home.
- If they are happy for you to have people visit you. It’s very important that you ask their permission before inviting someone over to their home.
- If there are any rooms in their home they do not wish you to go in.
Please note that no illegal substances should be used or brought into the host’s home. If you do, the placement will be ended immediately. You must not ask your host for money.
While it is your responsibility to keep the room in which you are staying clean and tidy, as well as any shared spaces, your host will not ask you to work for free.
If you are worried about any of the house rules you can speak to your host, referrer, or your Placement Coordinator if you self-referred to us.
Remember, you do not need to tell your host anything about your journey to the UK and they will not ask you about this. You do not need to share anything you don’t want to.
Our hosts are not trained in immigration, benefits, or the housing system. If you need advice on these issues then please speak to your referrer, a caseworker, or ask your Placement Coordinator who can point you to places you can get help.
Your Placement Coordinator will check in with you (or your referrer) and your host regularly throughout your placement. We’ll be asking you how your move on plan is developing and what is happening. This is because hosting is never permanent, and we expect our guests to keep working toward longer term housing.
If you have an issue or concern during your placement, you can contact your referrer or Placement Coordinator. It’s very important that you let your referrer or Placement Coordinator know as soon as possible if there is a problem in your placement, we can only resolve things if we know about them. If you have a safeguarding concern during your placement, please email safeguarding@refugeesathome.org immediately.
The end of your placement
Placements can end for different reasons but as hosting is only temporary, you know that you must be working on your move on plan. This might be a move to Home Office accommodation, into your own tenancy, with a friend or into emergency accommodation.
When you leave your host’s home you might feel sad and anxious but remember that hosting is only a small part of your journey in the UK and there are lots of people in this country who will help and support you on the next part of your journey, whatever that might be.
There is no expectation that you will stay in contact with your host once you leave a placement. Some guests do remain in contact, others do not.
In some cases, Refugees at Home must make the decision to end a placement if things are not working out for either the guest or the host. If something that we think is serious has happened, then we might ask you to leave your host’s home immediately or without much notice. We will provide you or your referrer with a Placement Ending Letter that they will give to you with the reasons why it must end. If you have a referrer, we will also notify them. Whilst we try to avoid having to do this, it can happen from time to time.
When you leave your host’s home you should return any keys they have given you and leave your room clean and as you found it. You may also wish to say ‘thank you’ to your host for having you to stay, as this can help hosts feel like their kindness in giving you a place to stay has been appreciated, and will help them feel able to host more people.
We’ll be in contact once your placement is over to ask for your feedback on your experience with us, we really appreciate your honesty so that we can improve our work. For self-referred guests, we will also ask if you’d like to join our guest alumni newsletter so that we are able to share updates with you.
If you work for an organisation who would like to refer to us, please visit our referrer page or get in contact with us.
