Today (Friday 16th June 2023), the Supported Housing (Regulatory
Oversight) Bill passed its third reading in the House of
Lords unobstructed. The Bill is now set to receive Royal Assent
in the coming weeks, officially bringing new powers and
legislation into force that will drive out rogue landlords,
improve standards and stop dishonest providers from trying other
ways to exploit the system.
Crisis, working closely with Bill author and numerous other organisations across the
sector, has been supporting the Bill on its way through
Parliament. Through their Regulate the Rogues
campaign, the charity has been calling for tougher regulations to
stop rogue landlords exploiting people who need housing and
support to leave homelessness behind.
When managed well, exempt accommodation can provide good quality
housing and support to people who need additional help to leave
homelessness behind, including domestic abuse survivors and
people with mental health problems, often as a result of trauma.
But there are currently loopholes in the system which allow rogue
landlords to provide sub-standard support and accommodation while
turning huge profits.
The passing of this legislation will help thousands of people
currently forced to live in squalor and insecurity. The Bill will
strengthen the regulation of supported exempt housing in England
and creates new duties and powers for local authorities to
improve oversight of accommodation providers in their area and
take enforcement action against providers who are not meeting
acceptable standards.
Responding to the Supported Housing (Regulatory
Oversight) Bill passing its third reading in the House of Lords
unobstructed today (Friday 16th June 2023),
Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive,
said: “The passing of the Supported Housing Bill
represents a huge win for people who have been forced to live in
the misery of unregulated exempt accommodation. We want to say a
huge thank you to every single one of our campaigners. We
are so grateful to those who bravely spoke out about their own
experiences and took the time to share these real-life accounts
with Secretary of State . Together you have helped
bring this vital change in the law.
“Through our frontline services we’ve heard real-life horror
stories of people being forced to live in intolerable situations
– with people experiencing violent assaults and abuse at the
hands of their landlord or living in maggot-infested, mouldy
rooms.
“This new legislation will give local authorities far more
powers, enabling them to drive out rogue providers who are
exploiting the system for profit. It should ensure that supported
accommodation provides a safe home, much needed respite and a
foundation from which people can rebuild their lives away from
homelessness. Government must now back these new powers with the
resources councils need to use them effectively.”
said: “I am delighted that my
Private Members' Bill has passed through its third reading in the
House of Lords unobstructed today. This is the latest step on the
way to introduce appropriate regulation in the supported housing
sector, protecting vulnerable tenants and rooting out the rogue
landlords who have entered the sector.
“I look forward to the Bill receiving Royal Assent and becoming
an Act of Parliament which will then trigger the necessary
consultations with the sector and local authorities.
“Rogue landlords are now noticing that their exploitation of the
vulnerable is coming to an end. The thousands of good landlords,
who provide help and support for the vulnerable, have nothing to
fear from the new regulation.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
Some people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness live in
accommodation that comes with intensive support to help them
rebuild their lives and thrive.
Due to the added help people living in this accommodation
require, it is exempt from the restrictions on housing benefit
that limit how much money people can receive to pay their rent.
This why it is called ‘exempt accommodation’.
But this loophole is being exploited by a growing number of
corrupt landlords who are cashing in on the ability to charge
high rents and, in return, are forcing people at the greatest
risk to live in unsafe, dangerous housing with little to no
support at all.
Crisis has heard from people who have been abused, intimidated
and even forced back into homelessness to escape this situation.
That is why Crisis has been campaigning for regulations to be
tightened, to help ensure that people are not trapped in
suitable, unsafe accommodation.
As of May 2021, we know that over 153,700 households in Great
Britain were living in exempt accommodation and this number is
likely to have risen. Not all providers are bad, and indeed many
are providing a vital service that does provide the right support
for those who need it. However, there is a rising issue of
certain rogue landlords profiteering from the system. This change
in the law will finally address the issue of such providers
exploiting people.
