The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act (2023)

Birmingham City Council were one of the key national stakeholders that lobbied the government to introduce better regulation and oversight of supported housing.

This resulted in the government introducing new legislation called the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act (2023).

The aims of the Act include:

• requiring councils to set up licensing schemes for SEA accommodation providers
• regulations around property standards and the support provided to vulnerable tenants
• creating a national expert advisory panel to advise on matters related to supported housing
• requiring local authorities in England to review supported housing in their areas and develop strategies to understand the current and future needs within their districts
• changing laws that currently define people as ‘intentionally homeless’ when leaving unsuitable supported exempt accommodation (SEA)
• the sharing of information relating to licensing between local authorities, regulators, and government bodies

The Act came into force on 29 August 2023 but is subject to further consultation before it is implemented.

The government will be carrying out a wider consultation on the supporting regulations in January 2024.

It is anticipated that councils will be expected to enforce the Act in 2025.

Find out more about the Act.

Supported housing strategy

Birmingham’s supported housing strategy was agreed at Cabinet in January 2023.

We had already carried out a supported housing needs assessment in 2021. This assessment is currently under review.

We have a five-year vision for supported housing in Birmingham. This is built on four strategic priorities. They are:

• lobbying for legislative changes, national reform and an increase in funding
• rebalancing the city’s accommodation by reducing the number of supported housing units
• improving the quality and oversight of support provision.
• Introducing interim management measures

Housing needs assessment

An analysis of the supported housing needs of Birmingham was undertaken in 2021. This analysis found that there is approximately a 50% oversupply of supported housing.

The SEA multi-disciplinary partnership team will inspect all new providers who apply for exempt status.

This is our analysis of the supported housing needs of the city.

Page last updated: 6 November 2023