Thanks for the info guys.
It seems like they are looking for temporary accommodation to house people who are in-between or waiting for longer term accommodation to become available.
Here's the original contact.
I am writing to inform you about a project that Airbnb.org is running, together with the Welsh Government and Housing Justice Cymru. The aim of the project is to arrange temporary accommodation for families coming from Ukraine to the UK.
You can find out more about Airbnb.org and the project they are running online. You can also register on Airbnb.org, it’s free and you won’t be charged with any fees for using it.
You can also find more information about the project at:
https ://housingjustice. org. uk/cymru/airbnb-org
(Please, remove the spaces)
The families are referred to the scheme by the local authority of the area they are staying in, and Housing Justice finds a property that best matches the household’s needs. We don't have any specific dates at this moment, just making a list of people who are willing to help. Up to 30 days is the absolute maximum length of stay on this scheme, so sometimes it may be a couple of days, sometimes a week or two. The booking will be paid by us.
We would be interested in using your property/properties in the future. If this is something you are interested in, could we send you our list of health and safety criteria?
We look forward to hearing from you.
It all seems legitimate.
Here's the health and safety spec.
Could you please confirm that your property meets the following health and safety criteria:
Have an up-to-date electrical safety certificate
Have an up-to-date gas safety certificate
Have access to drinking water
Have adequate kitchen and bathroom space
Are kept clean and in a reasonable state of repair
Have safe and working electrics (a qualified electrician can advise if you are unsure)
Have a working smoke detector on each floor of the property
Have a working carbon monoxide detector
Have fire safety doors or escape routes as appropriate
Are free of damp or mould
Have secure locks
Have sufficient heating
Have adequate ventilation systems
For the properties that we will book for Ukrainian families we will need to have gas and electricity safety certificates as it is the requirement from Welsh Government. Please email us the up-to-date safety certificates at:
Ukraine . Airbnb @ housingjustice . org . uk
(remove the spaces in this email address when sending the email) at your earliest convenience. Please let us know if you do not currently have those.
Once we have your confirmation and the certificates, you will be added to our bank of approved Airbnb.com hosts and we will get in touch when your property/properties have been identified as suitable for a Ukrainian household. If your property is available at the time, we will book it.
I needed to upgrade my electrics to get up to current spec for a new cert. but that is now done.
It will be interesting to see what happens! I can't imagine how traumatised some of these people may be.