Homes for Ukraine: Future accommodation options
Option 5: Support to access Private Rented Sector with Ukraine Rental Support grant or beam
If you have the means to pay rent for private accommodation but cannot afford the upfront cost of a deposit, you can:
1. apply for a Ukraine Rental Support grant to cover your deposit and the first month of rent payment.
OR
2. request a referral to Beam for 1:1 support and funding towards your search.
You can find tips for accessing the private rental sector on the Council web pages. You will only be eligible for one of the options for support to access Private Rented accommodation. For example, if you are referred to Beam and accepted onto their programme, you will not be able to apply for a Ukraine Rental Grant.
The Council does not have or maintain a list of Private rented accommodations available. This is because it would change daily as properties are let every day therefore it would be out of date as soon as it was published.
Please go online or to the high street letting agents find available Private Rented Accommodation.
Beam Offer in Kingston
Beam can support with your search for private accommodation through 1:1 support, access to fundraising towards your deposit and moving costs, and help with:
- References
- Credit checks
- Tenancy Agreement
Visit beam.org/for-refugees to find out more or collect a leaflet from Guildhall 2 Ukraine Welcome Desk.
If you are interested in being referred to Beam, email ukraine@kingston.gov.uk or come into Guildhall 2 Ukraine Welcome Desk. Once you have been referred, you will complete an assessment with someone from Beam to determine your readiness to rent private accommodation.
About the rental support grant
This is a one-off payment to support you in finding private accommodation. You will be expected to finance the monthly rent payments yourself without any additional financial support from the Council.
The grant can cover the deposit (up to 5 weeks rent equivalent) plus 1 month rent for privately rented accommodation. The grant will be subject to suitability and affordability checks completed by the RBK Housing Team. The payment will be paid directly to the landlord if the payment is agreed upon. If you make the upfront payment yourself, the Council will not be able to retrospectively pay the grant to you.
You will need to ensure that the landlord keeps the deposit in a Government approved tenancy deposit scheme.
Apply for this grant
You can apply for this grant once you have found a potential property by downloading and completing the Application Form below. Please send the completed form to resettlement_RBK@kingston.gov.uk with the subject ‘Ukraine Rental Support Grant application’ followed by the lead tenant’s name. You can expect to receive a decision on your application from a member of the Kingston Housing team within 5 working days once all requested evidence has been submitted. Application form.
The suitability and affordability checks
The suitability and affordability checks completed by Kingston Council will be based on income (whether through employment or Universal Credit) and the safety and costs of the property identified.
When a hosting arrangement ends, either the guest or host will need to fill out this Departure Form to inform the council of the date that the guest moved out.
This then prompts the council to update their records and stop Thank You payments, preventing an invoice being issued.