The UK Government announced the launch of Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme which will enable homeowners across the UK to provide accommodation in their own home to refugees fleeing the war with Russia.

We know many of our members will want to help and can confirm we have joined the community of lenders taking part in the scheme. We will work with you to try and make this happen and have created this page to share details on how to do that and highlight things you might want to consider before applying for the scheme.

What to expect

As well as a page of frequently asked questions, the Government has put together a dedicated page with advice for Sponsors where you can find out how to prepare and what to expect. They share suggestions on drafting an agreement between you and your guest and many more practical tips and essential considerations.

Your mortgage payments

Although the Ukrainian national will be hosted as a non-paying guest/s for the duration of their stay, you will need to continue making mortgage payments as normal. So, if you are already experiencing payment difficulties or are more than six months in arrears, we will not be able to support your application. In those cases, you can receive free, impartial advice from services such as Money Helper and StepChange.

Stay safe and protected

Times of crisis do unfortunately see a rise in scams and phishing attempts so be extra vigilant when signing up to the scheme to ensure emails are coming from the official addresses and consider any phone calls you might receive. The scheme is free so you should never be asked for any financial details in calls or emails.

To ensure you’re protected, you will need let your insurance company know you are taking part in the scheme. The Association of British Insurers’ have shared more details around this.

Let us know

If you have your mortgage with Nottingham Building Society and are planning to apply for the Homes for Ukraine scheme or you’re in touch with applicants from Ukraine who have had their visa approved, please let us know. The best way to do this is directly with our mortgage team on tel:0344 481 4444.

What else are we doing?

Along with the rest of the world, we have been appalled by the events unfolding so taking part in this scheme is just one of the ways we’re lending our support to those that need it most. 

We are working with Nottingham-based charity, Operation Orphan, who are providing humanitarian relief to children and young, vulnerable families on the Moldovan border. So far, we have donated £20,000 from our Samuel Fox Foundation, provided our branches as collection points for clothing and toiletries donations they are sending to those in need and also had our head office team using their two paid volunteering days to support at the Operation Orphan headquarters to sort donations and pack boxes.