What supported exempt accommodation is
Supported exempt accommodation (SEA) is housing that supports vulnerable adults to live independently.
SEA is also known as exempt supported housing. It could be accommodation for:
- people who are homeless
- people recently released from prison
- survivors of domestic abuse
- people with substance dependencies
- people with mental health issues
- refugees
SEAs are exempt from the usual Housing Benefit rules, which place an upper limit (cap) on the amount of benefit people can claim.
The reason for the exemption from the benefit cap is that SEAs can be more expensive to run. For example, insurance, repairs and maintenance can all cost more for SEAs than general needs tenancies.
How supported exempt accommodation status is decided
Housing Benefit rules decide if a property is classed as supported exempt accommodation.
SEAs can be provided by:
- non-metropolitan county councils
- housing associations
- registered charities
- voluntary organisations
Read more about SEAs on GOV.UK.
Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP)
We were awarded £3.19 million in SHIP funding from April 2023 to March 2025.
This programme continues the work started in 2020 to improve standards and value for money within supported housing.
Our multi-disciplinary team includes officers from:
- community safety
- housing
- adult social care
- planning enforcement
- benefits
We respond to complaints and carry out inspections to improve poor standards with providers on behalf of tenants.
We also inspect the properties of all new providers who apply for exempt status.
Page last updated: 10 August 2026