To those on this thread asking "what did you expect":
I expected that our guests (both young, single & with a reasonable grasp of English) would be able to find work by this point (5 months in). One has taken a job in Ukraine working remotely, which has some complications and the other is doing some work on commission from Ukraine. Both have applied to things here too and one got atrial shift with Aldi on Monday so very much hoping that will come to something. They are finding it difficult as while there are loads of places looking for staff many are more struggling to recruit for roles where they need experience but have an abundance of
applicants for entry level jobs. I was taking to the local corner shop owner and he said 100 people applied for a 25 hour a week role to work there (mainly on till with some stock keeping). I think they probably could get care work. I don’t blame them for wanting to try and find something else but I’m worried if they don’t find uk based work soon renting next year will be impossible.
I expected by this point there would have been an announcement that the £350 per month payments would extend past a year so if you were happy to host longer you could continue to while still getting funding for extra utility/household costs. For us switching to renting the room becomes a bit of a pain as it’s not really big enough for 2 under rules. Idea 6 of us are overcrowded in our massive terrace seems laughable but it becomes a complication if we wanted to rent to our guests.
I expected the £350 would comfortably cover extra outgoings for most hosts & didn’t expect the massive increase in energy costs or spike in inflation. With the higher prices the extra usage from showers/baths, cooking, heating on in the day etc will be significant. We are using about 40% more energy. That is £50 a month on our fixed rate (which we have till April) but will be £140 on the new price cap with the house at our usual 19C. Our water cost is also up significantly. Shared staples like loo roll, washing powder, basic foods etc we budgeted for out of that money but it’s costing more than expected and while we could ask for a contribution I’ve instead just stopped getting as many extras.
I expected our guests to be a little bit more comfortable sharing space with us after 5 months. They are polite, pleasant women who always clear up after themselves and are very willing to play with the kids but they are nervous around my husband, which is hard for him even though he appreciates it isn’t personal. It’s good in sense we have our own space but it’s hard that I feel months on like I live with people I know very little about and yet who I’ve seen through some really tough times.
I expected to be able to find somewhere affordable for them to rent. I knew about need for a deposit but also knew our council offered help with it. I knew rents in the area were reasonable (a 2 bed flat is £500-700 per month as a private rental) but I didn’t realise you were expected to earn such a huge multiplier of the rent. I think we will manage regardless as know a lot of landlords and some of them who are willing to look at offering shorter term contracts with the uncertainty about when they will be able to go home but they need to get work sorted out first.
All in all it’s been a decent first 6 months. I keep thinking it’s a shame similar offers aren’t available to others in difficult circumstances whether they are other refugees or people who are escaping domestic abuse or leaving care etc. Once we manage to get our ladies set up independently we will likely do something similar again but we will have a break first.