Supported housing problems
Risks of unintended consequences from new supported housing licensing schemes, potentially discouraging good providers.
169 items
4 sources
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
95match
#4 - Assess how local authorities can set licensing scheme fees to deter poor housing providers.
The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 gives local authorities more powers over providers of supported housing but there is a risk of unintended consequences, including discouraging good quality providers. The Act gives powers to local authorities to set up licensing schemes for supported housing providers to join and adhere to the framework of standards locally. DLUHC intends...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem, supported
Committee recommendation
92match
#18 - New supported housing licensing scheme risks unintended consequences for providers and residents.
However, there is a risk of unintended consequences from the licensing scheme, including discouraging good quality supported housing providers. The NAO reported that some concerns had been raised by stakeholders, including from local authorities, that small or specialist non-commissioned supported housing providers may leave the sector or that it may force unscrupulous landlords to a different housing sector.36...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
86match
#20 - Lack of data hinders assessment of significant Housing Benefit fraud in supported housing
The problem of fraud is going largely unaddressed in supported housing. The NAO investigation found that DLUHC and DWP do not know how much fraud is made possible by gaps in oversight and regulation of supported housing. DWP has calculated that £540 million of Housing Benefit claims in Great Britain in 2021–22 were fraudulent. However, it cannot assess...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem, supported
Committee recommendation
85match
#17 - New Act grants local authorities non-mandatory powers to implement supported housing licensing schemes.
The Act intends to improve the quality of supported housing and give local authorities more control of supported housing in local areas. It does this through giving local authorities powers to create licensing schemes for providers of exempt accommodation, including provisions to restrict or remove Housing Benefit.34 The licensing scheme will not be mandatory for local authorities to...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
81match
#6 - Implement solutions to reduce housing benefit subsidy loss experienced by local authorities.
Some local authorities face increasing gaps in their budgets because of the way DWP Housing Benefit regulations work. Local authorities pay housing benefit directly to providers and ‘subsidy loss’ is the gap between how much rent a housing provider charges to a local authority and how much of it the local authority can claim back from DWP under...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem, supported
Committee recommendation
77match
#5 - Inform the Committee how it will identify Housing Benefit fraud and support local authorities.
Local authorities have limited capacity to deal with fraud in Housing Benefit claims for supported housing. In other recent reports we have highlighted the Supported housing 7 limited capacity of local authorities to tackle fraud and stressed the need for central government to provide better support. We are disappointed to see that the problem of fraud is going...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem, supported
Committee recommendation
74match
#8 - Supported housing supply often fails to meet diverse local needs for vulnerable residents.
The need for different types of supported housing varies locally due to different demographics in local authority areas. DLUHC told us there is not the right supply of supported housing for the right people in the right places and that as a result, supported housing does not offer the right support or accommodation to vulnerable people that ‘would...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
PFD report
73match
Lance Walker
The lack of regulation for residential homes housing vulnerable 18-21 year olds leads to providers with inadequate training and staffing. Additionally, there is no standard referral form, risking missed vital information for supported housing placements.
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
73match
#24 - 5th Report - Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
In response to this report, we request an update on the options the Government is considering to increase the supply of good-quality supported housing, as part of the Chief Secretary of the Treasury’s review. (Recommendation, Paragraph 75) Managing and improving the supply of temporary accommodation
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
73match
#11 - Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill has become an Act to improve sector standards.
DLUHC told us that the sector “is not working as well as it should” and that the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill, as it then was, would bring in important reforms.18 The Bill focused on exempt accommodation (mostly short-term supported housing that is exempt from locally set Housing Benefit caps) and include a range of measures that aim...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
73match
#7 - Progress to improve supported housing supply remains poor, falling below targets.
Progress to improve the supply of supported housing is poor. While DLUHC uses the Affordable Homes Programme to support development of more supported housing, it reported it is only forecast to achieve 5% of supported housing from the 2021–2026 iteration of the Affordable Homes Programme against a target of 10% (between 15,700 and 16,000 new housing units in...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
73match
#35 - Supported housing plays essential role in preventing homelessness, National Housing Federation submission highlights
In its written submission, the National Housing Federation suggested that the Government’s plans for tackling homelessness should reflect the essential role that supported housing plays in enabling independence and providing good quality homes, appropriate to need, and reducing reliance on public services. It suggested that supported housing helps half a million people in the community, with around 75%...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
73match
#12 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The dearth of data on exempt accommodation shows how successive Governments have been caught sleeping. The Government does not know how much exempt accommodation there is or how many people live in exempt accommodation. The Government claims that poor providers are a minority but has no data to back this up. The Government does not know how many...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem
Committee recommendation
73match
#10 - Inadequate regulation of exempt accommodation permits widespread provision of substandard housing.
Exempt accommodation can provide much-needed homes and support including for people recovering from drug or alcohol dependence; at risk of or transitioning to or from homelessness; or on release from the criminal justice system. However, the NAO found that some areas, such as Birmingham, have seen increasing numbers of landlords who circumvent the regulations, enabling them to profit...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
PFD report
69match
Jonathan Hamer
Gaps in community mental health care due to staff absences and issues with supported housing transitions contributed to a patient's deteriorating condition and subsequent death by suicide.
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
69match
#19 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The Government, in its written ministerial statement in March and in evidence to us, said it intends to take forward measures that will include new powers for local authorities to better manage their local supported housing market. We recommend that these measures include planning reforms that would assist councils to implement local strategies for exempt accommodation based on...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
65match
#2 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Since areas with high concentrations of exempt accommodation can attract anti- social behaviour, crime, rubbish, and vermin, neighbours and communities are affected negatively as well as residents. These impacts risk undermining local support for supported housing.
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
65match
#21 - 5th Report - Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
We are alarmed to hear of people with physical disabilities, medical conditions and other complex needs being placed in accommodation that is unsuitable for them. Part of the solution to this problem is improving the quality of supply available locally. In the short-term, however, this is another reason why mandatory inspections are needed before people are placed in...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem
Committee recommendation
65match
#1 - Committee received evidence from DLUHC and DWP concerning supported housing provision.
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) about supported housing.1
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
64match
#9 - Lack of regulation in exempt accommodation leads to exploitation and disgraceful resident experiences.
The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee focused on exempt accommodation, a subset of supported housing, during its inquiry in 2022. It described the sector as a “complete mess”, and a “goldrush” for unscrupulous landlords.13 The Committee took evidence from several residents living in such supported housing, local authorities and other stakeholders. The Committee concluded that some residents’...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
61match
#20 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Specifically, we recommend that the Government end the existing exemptions that registered providers have from HMO licensing and the Article 4 direction. Furthermore, we recommend that the loophole relating to non-registered providers with properties containing six or fewer residents also be addressed so that they are brought within the planning regime. This action would prevent there being a...
Matched on
terms: housing
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
22-002-448 - Kingston Upon Hull City Council
Summary: The Council was at fault for failing to deal with Mr X’s complaints of noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour in his supported accommodation. It was also at fault for failing to respond to his complaint at stage two of its process. The Council was not at fault in how it dealt with issues of disrepair and the...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
60match
#36 - Previous report on supported housing sector published in November
We last reported on the supported housing sector in England in November
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
LGO / SPSO decision
60match
20-012-815 - West Sussex County Council
Summary: Mr B complained his supported housing provider did not repay him any money for the time he was not living in his flat between March and June 2020. There was no fault by the Council.
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
Committee recommendation
59match
#2 - Write to the Committee outlining consultation progress and supporting local authorities to implement the Act.
Exempt accommodation—an expanding sub-sector of short-term supported housing that can be of poor quality—has little regulation or oversight so leaving vulnerable people unprotected from unscrupulous providers. We echo the strength of feeling and view of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee in their report on exempt accommodation (mostly short-term supported housing that is exempt from locally set...
Matched on
terms: housing, supported
PFD report
57match
Ian Leak
The communal fire alarm system at Honiton Oaks failed to trigger audible alerts within individual flats, raising serious safety concerns for residents, particularly those with mobility problems under a "Stay Put" policy.
Matched on
terms: problem
Committee recommendation
57match
#9 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The patchwork regulation of exempt accommodation has too many holes. We recognise that the exempt accommodation sector is complex with different types of providers, therefore requiring the involvement of multiple regulators. But some providers do not fall under the remit of any regulator, and no regulator has complete oversight of the different elements of exempt accommodation. Later in...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
57match
#15 - New regulatory compliance costs risk limiting investment in new social homes
While we welcome the steps the Government has taken to rebuild the sector’s financial capacity, a lot of the extra rental income social landlords receive could be absorbed by the new compliance costs placed on them, thereby limiting their ability to invest in new social homes. Even with the Government’s investment in social homes and the changes to...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
56match
#24 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The lease-based model has its place in exempt accommodation, by enabling access to properties for decent providers who would otherwise not be able to purchase properties outright. However, it can be exploited by those whose primary objective is to make huge profits at the expense of the taxpayer: we received examples of profits in the millions of pounds....
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
56match
#23 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
We also recommend that action be taken to address this complex landscape, by making it compulsory for all providers to be registered. A mechanism is required to ensure that there is better quality provision and that standards are maintained. Good providers will have nothing to fear from registration, while the bad providers can have their 50 Exempt Accommodation...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
56match
#22 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The multitude of models of exempt accommodation produces a complex landscape with no guarantee of quality. We have heard concerns about the quality of non- commissioned exempt accommodation, but have also been provided with good examples of specialist non-commissioned providers. Likewise, in the absence of data, it has not been possible to demonstrate whether registered or non-registered providers...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
56match
#8 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The Government should provide new burdens funding to local authorities to ensure that they can carry out these duties to the best of their ability, recognising that improving the overall standard of exempt accommodation and making it more consistent is likely to save resources in the long-term. The Government should also carry out an impact assessment to identify...
Matched on
terms: housing
LGO / SPSO decision
56match
201203475 - Dundee City Council
Mrs C moved back to the council's area to care for family. She accepted the councils offer of an upper villa flat which had an intercom service to wardens in a nearby sheltered housing complex, although she was fit and active and had no need of the service. The council upgraded the intercom service at the start of...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem
LGO / SPSO decision
56match
PSOW-202308943 - Hafod Housing Association
Ms V complained that Hafod Housing Association had failed to resolve the various maintenance issues in her property and had not responded to the complaint she made to it in October 2023. The Ombudsman found that there had been a delay by the Association to rectify the problems in the property and respond to Ms V’s complaint. She...
Matched on
terms: housing, problem
Committee recommendation
53match
#21 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Demand for exempt accommodation is driven in part by a shortage of affordable homes. To solve the issues found in exempt accommodation the Government must solve the wider housing crisis. We reiterate the recommendations from our 2020 report, “Building more social housing”—in particular, our call on the Government to build 90,000 social rent homes a year. (Paragraph 100)...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
53match
#18 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The former Minister was reluctant to consider changes to the planning system, arguing that some councils are having successes with the planning tools available Exempt Accommodation 49 to them, and that raising the overall quality will reduce the negative impacts on communities and in turn reduce the need to control the spread of exempt accommodation. However, our evidence...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
53match
#14 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The Government has no idea how much taxpayer money is spent on exempt accommodation, nor what this money is spent on. It cannot know whether the current system is delivering value for money. Millions of pounds are being poured into exempt housing benefit with no guarantee that vulnerable residents will get the support they need. In some cases,...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
53match
#1 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
An unknown but significant number of residents’ experiences of exempt accommodation are beyond disgraceful. Taxpayers’ money is being spent on uncapped housing benefit on the understanding that residents, who are usually vulnerable, receive some care, support, or supervision—yet it is clear that some people’s situations actually deteriorate as a result of the shocking conditions in which they live....
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
53match
#22 - 5th Report - Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
The government must require local authorities to conduct mandatory inspections before placing households in temporary accommodation to determine that the accommodation they have arranged adequately caters for people’s physical and medical needs. The Government should also strengthen the statutory guidance for local authorities on the arrangements that should be put in place to support those with complex needs...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
52match
#13 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Within twelve months of publication of this report, the Government must organise the collection, collation and publication of annual statistics at a local authority level on the following: • The number of exempt accommodation claimants; • The number of exempt accommodation providers; • The number of housing units used for exempt accommodation; • The number of exempt accommodation...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
52match
#23 - 5th Report - Housing Conditions in Temporary Accommodation
The ministry should require councils to forecast demand for people with complex needs as part of their action plans to highlight where there are gaps in provision and demonstrate how the funds allocated through the Local Authority Housing Fund are being used to fill gaps in available provision. The Government must also require local authorities to ensure that...
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
52match
#7 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Consideration should be given to an accreditation scheme for providers, implemented on a graded basis, so that councils can assess the quality of provision in their area and so that poorer quality providers can improve.
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
52match
#5 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
It was clear from our evidence that the quality of provision of exempt accommodation varies greatly and that the poor quality provision puts already vulnerable residents at serious risk. The Government fears “unintended consequences” from further regulation and points to councils that have turned things around within the funding envelope and powers available to them. Yet we received...
Matched on
terms: housing
PFD report
49match
Brian Goodman
A known ligature point in the patient's room was not addressed, and similar hazardous door closing mechanisms remain in use in other properties, despite a history of suicide attempts by hanging.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
48match
#15 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
The Government should conduct a review of exempt housing benefit claims to determine how much is being spent and on what. Rent should be capped at a reasonable level that meets the higher costs of managing exempt accommodation. Funding for support should be provided separately.
Matched on
terms: housing
Committee recommendation
48match
#11 - Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
We recommend that a National Oversight Committee be urgently established to address the oversight issues relating to exempt accommodation. Among its functions we expect that it would coordinate awareness of emerging issues, inform the development of policy in this area and develop proposals for reform of the regulatory system. The composition of the committee should include the existing...
Matched on
terms: housing
IMB recommendation
48match
Ashfield (2020)
Can the lack of availability of appropriate accommodation for men convicted of sexual offences be raised with the minister for housing, communities and local government?
Matched on
terms: housing
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
23-010-331 - Blackpool Borough Council
Summary: Mr D complained about the support provided to his daughter who lives in supported living accommodation. We found some fault in the Council’s service provision and communications. This resulted in some avoidable distress and frustration for Mr D and his daughter. The Council has accepted these findings and at the end of this statement, we set out...
Matched on
terms: supported
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
25-001-488 - Cordial Support Limited
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about anti-social behaviour from a neighbouring supported accommodation unit. This is because the complaint matters are not linked to personal care support.
Matched on
terms: supported
LGO / SPSO decision
48match
PSOW-202401136 - Hafod Housing Association
Mrs A complained about how Hafod Housing Association dealt with her complaint about damage to her furniture, which she said had been ruined by damp in her house. The Ombudsman decided, that the Housing Association had repaired the leak, which was causing the damp. But that it had failed to offer appropriate redress for the damage the damp...
Matched on
terms: housing