A law designed to tackle the scandal of “exempt” supported accommodation in England has yet to be implemented, leaving vulnerable residents at risk of exploitation and poor living conditions. The Supported Housing Act, passed in 2023, aimed to introduce minimum standards, licensing schemes, and a national advisory panel to monitor the sector, but delays in creating the necessary regulations have stalled its implementation.
Charities and MP Bob Blackman have urged the government to act swiftly, warning that unscrupulous landlords are continuing to profit from housing benefit while providing substandard homes for those in need of support. Supported accommodation is often used to house people who have recently been released from prison, those with substance abuse issues, victims of domestic violence, or individuals with mental health problems.
The main concern is that rogue providers are placing vulnerable people in shared homes, which can exacerbate addiction and mental health issues, create violence and antisocial behaviour, and strain emergency services. In some areas, such as Birmingham, which has around 30,000 exempt accommodation places, landlords have been converting family homes into large house-shares to capitalise on the higher housing benefit rates.
Jasmine Basran, the head of policy and campaigns at Crisis, said the charity has heard “horror stories” about exempt accommodation, including “rooms infested with mice and mould, people having to share a washing machine with 70 others, and people facing abuse and intimidation when trying to speak up.” While the passage of the Supported Housing Act was a “huge win,” Basran said that as the powers have yet to take effect, “people in vulnerable situations were still at risk of exploitation.”
Gill Taylor, who leads the Dying Homeless Project at the Museum of Homelessness, said there is real concern that people are dying in poor-quality exempt accommodation while the legislation delays continue. In 2024, the project was informed of 36 deaths in exempt accommodation across 10 local authorities, but the true figure is likely much higher as the vast majority of councils do not collect this data.
The government has acknowledged the failure to build enough safe and affordable homes, leading to rising homelessness, unaffordable rents, and increased housing insecurity. It has promised that the Supported Housing Act is a priority and that implementation will begin next month, but campaigners fear it could be years before the law becomes a reality.
