Exempt and transitional housing is supported accommodation: a room or home that comes with care, support or supervision, usually for a limited time, to help someone settle, stay safe and move on to a home of their own. On SocialRooms these homes are often priced as a weekly service charge rather than rent.
What the terms mean
- Supported housing is any housing that comes with support, care or supervision to help people live as independently as they can.
- Exempt accommodation is a benefits term. It is supported housing provided by a housing association, a registered charity, a voluntary (not-for-profit) organisation or, in England, a non-metropolitan county council, where that body, or someone acting for it, gives the resident care, support or supervision. The support must be more than minimal. The legal definition is in Schedule 3, paragraph 4(10) of the Housing Benefit (Consequential Provisions) Regulations 2006.
- Specified accommodation is the wider group that includes exempt accommodation, managed properties, refuges for people escaping domestic abuse, and council-run hostels. The Housing Benefit rules below apply to all of them.
- Transitional (or move-on) housing describes the purpose: a stepping stone between, for example, a hostel, care, hospital or prison and an independent tenancy. Stays are usually months rather than years, with support to build the skills and stability to move on.
- Move-on homes are ordinary tenancies, often from private landlords, for people leaving supported housing. They don't include support, so any landlord can list them. Use the Supported move-on filter to find them.
Who it is for
People who need some support to live safely and settle, such as:
- people leaving homelessness, hostels or rough sleeping
- young people and care leavers
- people leaving prison or on probation
- people in recovery from drug or alcohol use
- people with mental health needs, learning disabilities or autism
- people leaving hospital who need help to live independently
- people escaping domestic abuse
- veterans and older people who need some support
How to get a place
- Through your council. If you are homeless or at risk, ask your council's housing options team for help. They have a duty to assess you and may refer you to supported housing. Find your council on GOV.UK and read what to do if you're homeless or at risk.
- Through a support worker, caseworker or probation officer. Many places are filled by referral, so ask the person who supports you.
- Directly. Many providers accept self-referrals. Search SocialRooms and send an enquiry.
- Care leavers should also talk to their Personal Adviser or leaving care team. Become has advice on housing for care-experienced young people.
- Prison leavers can get help from their probation practitioner and from Nacro.
- People escaping domestic abuse can find refuges and local services through the Women's Aid directory.
How the rent and charges are paid
- Rent: Housing Benefit, even if you get Universal Credit. In exempt and other specified accommodation, help with housing costs doesn't come through the Universal Credit housing element. You (or the provider, on your behalf) claim Housing Benefit from the council, and it is usually paid straight to the provider.
- New Housing Benefit claims are limited. You can only make a new claim if you have reached State Pension age or you live in supported, sheltered or temporary housing. Everyone else claims Universal Credit instead. See Citizens Advice: check if you can get Housing Benefit.
- Your Universal Credit carries on for your living costs. It just won't include a housing element while you live there. Tell Universal Credit about the move in your journal, and tell them again when you move on.
- The service charge is yours to pay. Housing Benefit covers the rent and some service charges for shared areas. Your own gas, electricity, water, Wi-Fi and food usually aren't covered, so providers charge them as a weekly service charge that you pay from your income.
- Support is paid for separately, often by the council or another funder. It must not be added to your rent.
What Housing Benefit can and can't cover
| Usually covered by Housing Benefit | Not covered: paid by you or another funder |
|---|---|
| Rent for your room or home | Care, support, supervision and counselling |
| Cleaning and upkeep of shared areas | Your own gas, electricity and water |
| Heating and lighting of shared areas | Meals and food |
| Furniture and household equipment provided by the landlord | Personal laundry, TV licence, phone and Wi-Fi for your own use |
| Grounds maintenance, door entry systems, communal TV aerial | Medical or nursing care |
The detail is in the Government's Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims. Shelter also explains Housing Benefit in hostels, refuges and supported housing.
Benefits and extra help you may be able to get
Most people in supported housing get Housing Benefit for the rent plus one or more of the benefits below for living costs. Every benefit listed counts as income towards your service charge. Check what you could get with a free calculator from entitledto, Turn2us or Policy in Practice, all listed on GOV.UK.
Help with housing costs
| Benefit | What it's for | In supported housing |
|---|---|---|
| Housing Benefit | Rent and eligible service charges | Pays the rent, usually straight to the provider |
| Universal Credit | Living costs, with extra for children, disability, caring or limited capability for work | Carries on, without the housing element |
| Pension Credit | Tops up income for people over State Pension age | Carries on; claim Housing Benefit for the rent |
| Council Tax Reduction | Help with council tax | Only if you're liable; many supported housing schemes include council tax |
| Crisis and Resilience Fund | Council help with housing costs, bills, food and essentials in a crisis | Ask your council, especially when moving on |
Income and disability benefits
| Benefit | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | Adults under State Pension age with a long-term health condition or disability. Not means-tested. Turn2us PIP Helper can help you apply. |
| New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) | People who can't work because of illness or disability and have paid enough National Insurance |
| New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) | People looking for work who have paid enough National Insurance |
| Attendance Allowance | People over State Pension age who need help because of illness or disability |
| Disability Living Allowance for children | Children under 16 with extra care or mobility needs |
| Carer's Allowance | People caring for someone for 35 hours a week or more |
| Child Benefit | Anyone responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 in approved education or training) |
| Maternity Allowance | Pregnant people who can't get Statutory Maternity Pay |
| Statutory Sick Pay | Employees off work sick |
| Bereavement Support Payment | People whose husband, wife or civil partner has died |
One-off help and lower bills
- Universal Credit Budgeting Advance: an interest-free loan for one-off costs such as furniture, clothes or moving.
- Budgeting Loans: similar help if you've been on certain older benefits for 6 months.
- Crisis and Resilience Fund: run by your council in England for emergencies and essential items.
- Turn2us grants search: charity grants for furniture, white goods and other essentials.
- Broadband and phone social tariffs: cheaper packages if you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits.
- Warm Home Discount: money off your electricity bill once you have your own account.
- Healthy Start: help to buy food and milk if you're pregnant or have a child under 4.
- NHS Low Income Scheme: help with prescriptions, dental and eye care, and travel to hospital.
The benefit names and rules above are for England. Scotland and Wales have some different benefits, so check GOV.UK or Citizens Advice.
Working while you live in supported housing
- Work is encouraged, and many providers help with training and job searching.
- Housing Benefit and Universal Credit go down as your earnings go up. Tell the council and Universal Credit straight away so you aren't overpaid.
- Ask the provider's support worker to help you check what you'll be left with each week, including the service charge. A better-off calculator can help.
Questions to ask before you move in
- What does the weekly service charge include, and what will I pay each week in total?
- What support and coaching will I get, how often, and from whom? Will I have a support plan?
- Will you help me claim Housing Benefit and update Universal Credit?
- Is it a tenancy or a licence, how long can I stay, and what happens when I'm ready to move on?
- Are you a registered provider (RSL), charity or council, or do you work with one? Which council funds or commissions the service?
- Is coaching included as well as support, for example help with budgeting, training, work or managing a tenancy?
- What are the house rules, and who do I contact if I have a complaint?
Your rights and complaints
- Ask the provider for its complaints policy and use it first.
- If your landlord is a housing association or council, you can take an unresolved complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
- You can also tell the council that pays the Housing Benefit, or the council team that commissions the support, if the support isn't being provided.
- Free, confidential advice: Shelter, Citizens Advice, and for money worries National Debtline or StepChange.
- For mental health and housing, Mind lists organisations that can help.
Moving on
- Start planning with your support worker early. Ask the council about its housing register and any rent deposit or bond schemes.
- When you move to an ordinary tenancy, you'll usually go back to Universal Credit with a housing element (or Housing Benefit if you're over State Pension age). Tell both the council and Universal Credit on the day you move.
- Search move-on homes from landlords who welcome people leaving supported housing, and use the LHA calculator to see how much Universal Credit could pay towards rent.
Private landlords
To provide supported housing, a private landlord usually leases the property to a housing association, charity or other provider. Our sister service SocialLets matches landlords with housing providers. Any landlord can list ordinary rooms and homes, including move-on homes, on SocialRooms.
For providers: the rules
- Who can provide it. To count as exempt accommodation, the landlord must be a housing association, registered charity, voluntary organisation or, in England, a non-metropolitan county council, and must provide (or arrange through someone acting for it) care, support or supervision that is more than minimal.
- Rent. The council checks the rent is reasonable compared with suitable alternative accommodation, so keep evidence of your costs.
- Service charges. Charges for shared areas and communal facilities can be eligible for Housing Benefit. Care, support, supervision, personal utilities, meals and counselling are not, and must be paid by the resident or funded another way.
- Housing Benefit claims. Councils usually ask for the lease or management agreement, a service charge breakdown, and evidence of the support provided, such as support plans and staffing.
- Good practice. Read the Government's national statement of expectations for supported housing and your council's local supported housing strategy.
Licensing and national standards
The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets councils in England license supported exempt accommodation. The Government's response to its consultation (updated June 2026) confirms:
- Licences will be needed for supported exempt accommodation where residents claim Housing Benefit, with one licence per licensing district listing every address, a stronger "fit and proper person" test and licence conditions.
- Housing Benefit will be linked to licensing, so homes run without a required licence won't qualify.
- Six National Supported Housing Standards, now final: person-centred support, empowerment, environment, staff and safeguarding, local need, and a statement of purpose.
- Exemptions include council-provided or commissioned supported housing, Ministry of Justice-commissioned accommodation, Ofsted-regulated services for young people, domestic abuse services commissioned under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, regulated older people's housing and almshouses.
- Timing: draft regulations are expected to be consulted on in late 2026, with licensing expected to start from 2027. Check GOV.UK and your council for confirmed dates.
Sector guidance: National Housing Federation and Homeless Link. Housing associations are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing.
Listing supported housing on SocialRooms
- Describe the support and coaching in the listing: what it covers, how often, from whom, who it is for and how referrals work.
- For exempt or transitional accommodation, choose per week so the price shows as a service charge, not rent, with a note that the rent is paid from the tenant's benefit through a housing association.
- Tick Housing Benefit and both Universal Credit options under benefits accepted.
- More tips: listing supported or exempt accommodation.
Useful links
Official guidance
- Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims (GOV.UK)
- Housing Benefit (GOV.UK)
- Universal Credit (GOV.UK)
- Supported housing regulation: government response (GOV.UK)
- Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Find your local council (GOV.UK)
Advice and benefits checks
- Shelter: Housing Benefit in hostels, refuges and supported housing
- Citizens Advice: benefits
- Turn2us and entitledto benefits calculators
- National Debtline and StepChange
Specialist support
- Become (care leavers)
- Nacro (leaving prison)
- Women's Aid directory (domestic abuse)
- Mind (mental health and housing)
For providers
Checked against GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, Citizens Advice and Shelter in October 2026. Benefit rules change, so always check the official page before you rely on it.