Your guide to finding a settled home in the UK (accessible)
Published 17 May 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-guests-your-guide-to-finding-a-settled-home-in-the-uk/your-guide-to-finding-a-settled-home-in-the-uk-accessible
This leaflet is intended for people who have come to the UK through Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and eligible British Nationals who are temporarily staying in hotels or serviced accommodation.
The UK government will soon ask all Afghan families and individuals currently staying in hotels and serviced accommodation to leave their temporary accommodation for a permanent home. This information explains what you need to do next, and what support is available to you.
The UK government is proud to have welcomed you to this country. We hope that the broad range of support which has been provided to you, including accommodation and benefits, has helped you to settle into life in the UK.
When you first arrived in the UK, as a temporary measure you were offered hotel or serviced accommodation. It was never intended for you to live in hotel accommodation for a long time, because hotels are not suitable as long-term accommodation.
We want you to be able to finally settle in a home and live independently. Therefore we are now taking action to support you to do this.
What should you expect?
The UK government will soon ask you to leave your hotel or serviced accommodation. We will support you to find suitable accommodation, so that you can live independently.
You will have received, or will shortly receive, a letter which will inform you of the date you need to leave your hotel or serviced accommodation. This is called giving you ‘notice’ and the letter is a legal document called a ‘notice to quit’.
You should now take steps to find your own accommodation that you can afford, and which is suitable for you and your family’s needs. The UK government will support you with this. For most people this will be in private rented accommodation, and you may get financial support from your current or new council to rent a property that is suitable for you. For some this may include help with your deposit, initial rent, and furniture costs.
What do you need to do now?
You should now start searching for your own accommodation. The Find Your Own Accommodation process has been designed to help you find accommodation in the private rented sector. This process, with support of council staff in your hotel, will help you to find a new home.
From 2 May 2023 we will implement a new matching process, this means that some households with particular needs may receive one offer of appropriate settled accommodation from the Home Office, where this is available.
For the majority of people, this will involve searching for accommodation in the private rental market. In other words, you will be moving into accommodation that does not belong to the council.
We understand that finding and securing a home in the private rental market can be difficult, particularly when you are in a new country. This is why we are providing extensive support to help you find your first settled home in the UK.
Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to make an accommodation offer to everyone because the number of householders seeking council accommodation across the UK far exceeds the availability.
If we make you an offer, we strongly recommend you accept it. If you refuse an offer of accommodation, no further offers of accommodation will be made to you by the Home Office.
Trained staff will be at your hotel or serviced accommodation to help answer your questions and give you advice. These staff include council staff, Home Office Liaison Officers, work coaches and charities.
How should you find your own accommodation?
You can start straight away by taking the following steps:
1. Ask council staff in your current accommodation to help you complete an assessment, to work out what you can afford.
2. Discuss possible areas to move to with council staff. They will contact councils to find out whether they can help you. Not all councils will be able to support you, but this does not prevent you from moving if you find a property that is suitable and affordable.
3. Start your property search in the areas agreed. To search for properties, you can use websites like Rightmove, Zoopla, OpenRent, or many others. You should enquire about multiple properties to increase your chance of securing one. Council staff in your temporary accommodation will be available to help with this.
4. Tell the council staff in your temporary accommodation when you find a suitable property. They will let you know whether the council in the area you want to move to can support you. If you move without the support of your new council, they may not provide the range of services you require.
5. Your new council may be able to help with costs like initial rent, deposits and furniture. They may also provide ongoing resettlement support, like helping you find a nearby school and access to medical services.
The Home Office can help with transport to move you and your belongings to your new property. Speak to your Home Office Liaison Officer, who can arrange this for you.
More information on how to find accommodation is available in the ‘How to Rent’ guide, on GOV.UK – www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent
Will you be offered accommodation by the UK government?
There will be very limited numbers of properties offered by the Home Office to households, so you will need to find accommodation for you and your family. Home Office Liaison Officers and local councils will support you throughout this process.
If you receive an offer of accommodation from the Home Office, we strongly encourage you to accept it, as you will not receive a second offer.
If it gets close to the date you need to leave the hotel and you have not secured your own accommodation, please speak to your Home Office Liaison Officer/council advisor who will be able to advise on your next steps.
Further information
What support is available if you have children at school?
For families with children at school or nursery, we recognise the need to minimise disruption to their education. Your council can arrange support in your family’s new location. In the UK, councils must offer school-aged children a place at a school in your new area within a few weeks of your move in date.
The council staff at your hotel will be able to give you more information on how to do this. The Department for Education will also be sending information on what you need to do next to help you find a school.
What support is available if you or your family have medical needs or disabilities?
If you have a medical need or disability for which treatment can only be provided in a specific region, the UK government and its partners will work with you to make sure your needs are met and that you can continue to access treatment as you move into a new home.
If you have medical needs or disabilities that make searching for or securing your own accommodation difficult, you may be eligible for more support from the UK government or local councils. You will be asked to provide evidence of your medical need or disability.
For more information, please speak to your Home Office Liaison Officer or council staff at your hotel, who are there to help you.
What benefits and public services are you entitled to?
As soon as you came to the UK through the ACRS or ARAP, you were granted the right to remain in the UK indefinitely, the right to work and the right to rent property. These rights are permanent and will not be taken away.
You will continue to be eligible to apply for benefits and access public services, as you do now once you have left temporary accommodation. These include:
- access to UK benefits.
- access to free healthcare through the National Health Service for you and your family.
- access to support services including, translation services, and accessing healthcare, education, and employment.
- support for finding schools and nurseries and arranging any special care needs for children or vulnerable adults.
What support is available to help you to access work or training?
If you receive Universal Credit and you are able to work, you are entitled to a work coach. They are there to help you with your job search, and they can give you individual support depending on your needs. This can include:
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helping you to identify your transferable skills and how these may help you in jobs or industries you may not have thought of before.
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using their local expertise to help with your job search and to find suitable opportunities for you.
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helping you create, improve, and adapt your CV.
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supporting you with job applications and providing advice to increase your chance of success.
Additional support
For those who came to the UK via ARAP who have and want to maintain a Defence connection, support may be available to you through Op NEWHOPE. This is delivered through the Ministry of Defence’s partners: the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes, The Forces Employment Charity, and Gulab Sorkh. This support could relate to physical and mental health; finding employment; and integrating into your local community.
If you are eligible for Op NEWHOPE, the Ministry of Defence will email you to obtain your consent to be referred onwards to charitable partners for support.
What should you do if you need more help?
If you need help and advice, please speak with your dedicated Home Office Liaison Officer or your council support staff in your accommodation.
They are your first point of contact and can help you access different types of support.
Call the helpline telephone number
For enquiries on Afghanistan resettlement, please contact the General Immigration Enquiry Line.
Telephone: 0300 790 6268 – select option 2
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Please note: The helpline is closed on weekends and bank holidays.
The advisors on the telephone will be able to give you information you may need for example telephone numbers, useful websites, details of councils.
Call charges and phone numbers
The cost of calling a phone number depends on the digits it starts with, your phone provider and whether you use a landline or mobile. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package.
Check with your phone provider.