For support providers
You deliver the support. The evidence has to show it.
Councils test support when they decide Housing Benefit claims, and licensing will test it against national standards from 2027. These are the guides that matter most for teams running support services.
Your five priorities
- 1Needs assessment for every resident within four weeks of moving in
- 2Support plans the resident recognises, reviewed on time
- 3Session records with dates, times and links to the plan
- 4Safeguarding procedures staff actually use
- 5Outcomes, including where people move on to
Start here
Every guide for support providers
What is exempt accommodation?
Exempt accommodation explained in plain English. The four tests a scheme must pass, how Housing Benefit works for residents and what councils ask to see.
Updated Oct 2026
The four categories of specified accommodation
Exempt accommodation, managed properties, refuges and local authority hostels compared side by side, with who can be the landlord in each category.
Updated Oct 2026
Types of supported housing in England
Hostels, shared houses, Housing First, refuges, foyers, supported lodgings and supported living compared: who each is for, length of stay and funding.
Updated Oct 2026
Licensing and the national supported housing standards
What the 2023 Act does, what the April 2026 government response decided on licensing and national standards, the expected timeline and what to do now.
Updated Oct 2026
Grey areas in exempt and supported accommodation
The niche questions where the rules are unclear: more than minimal support, acting for the landlord, CICs, lease models, HMOs, planning and licences.
Updated Oct 2026
Rent, service charges and Housing Benefit in supported housing
How eligible rent works in supported housing, which service charges Housing Benefit covers, intensive housing management and the evidence councils expect.
Updated Oct 2026
The Renters' Rights Act and supported accommodation
What changed for supported housing on 1 May 2026: which agreements are covered, possession grounds 5E and 5F, licences and timings for registered providers.
Updated Oct 2026
Needs assessments, support plans and support records
Needs assessments within four weeks, support plans residents own, records that stand up to scrutiny, safeguarding and outcomes in supported housing.
Updated Oct 2026
Property standards and safety in supported housing
The property rules for supported housing: HHSRS, HMO licensing, fire safety, gas and electrical checks, smoke and CO alarms, Awaab's Law and Decent Homes.
Updated Oct 2026
Transitional housing and move-on
How transitional supported housing works, typical lengths of stay, tenancy or licence choices, and a practical move-on plan that starts on the first day.
Updated Oct 2026
Emergency accommodation, temporary accommodation and supported housing
Emergency and temporary accommodation explained: the council duties behind them, the B&B six-week rule, and when a placement counts as exempt.
Updated Oct 2026
Supported accommodation for care leavers and 16 to 17 year olds
Ofsted registration for 16 and 17 year olds, who pays the rent at each age, Staying Put, the shared rate exemption and how licensing treats youth schemes.
Updated Oct 2026
Supported living explained
How supported living works, why care and housing must be separate, CQC registration, tenancies and mental capacity, and lease-based landlords.
Updated Oct 2026
Refuges and domestic abuse safe accommodation
How refuges fit the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 duty, specified accommodation category 3, sanctuary schemes and paying rent on two homes.
Updated Oct 2026
Prison leavers, CAS-3 and supported housing
Housing for people leaving prison: Approved Premises, CAS-2, CAS-3's 84 nights, the duty to refer and what exempt accommodation providers must get right.
Updated Oct 2026
How to prepare for a supported housing audit
A step-by-step plan to get ready for a council review, licensing or an independent audit of supported exempt accommodation, and what to pull together.
Updated Oct 2026
SEA Audit
Want a second pair of eyes on your schemes?
SEA Audit reviews support files, Housing Benefit evidence, safeguarding and property standards against the incoming national standards, then gives you a plain-English action plan.