Glossary
Exempt accommodation
Also called: Category 1 specified accommodation, Exempt supported housing
In one sentence
Supported housing where a not-for-profit landlord or county council, or someone acting for it, provides more than minimal care, support or supervision.
Exempt accommodation is category 1 of specified accommodation. The landlord must be a housing association, registered charity, voluntary organisation or non-metropolitan county council, and that landlord or someone acting on its behalf must provide the resident with care, support or supervision.
The name comes from 1996, when this housing was exempted from new limits on how much rent Housing Benefit would pay. Rent is still paid through Housing Benefit, including for residents on Universal Credit.
Related terms
Specified accommodationThe four types of supported housing where rent is paid through Housing Benefit, even for people on Universal Credit.Supported exempt accommodation (SEA)The term the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 uses for supported housing that can be paid for by Housing Benefit above Local Housing Allowance levels.More than minimalThe threshold, set by case law, that care, support or supervision must pass for exempt accommodation.
Where it comes up
- Licensing and the national supported housing standardsThe Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets the government set national supported housing standards and create a council-run licensing regime for supported exempt accommodation in England. The April 2026 response confirmed licence holders must meet the standards, pass a wider fit and proper test and assess each resident's needs within four weeks. Licensing is expected in 2027.
- Grey areas in exempt and supported accommodationMost disputes in exempt accommodation come from questions the regulations never fully answer. How much support is more than minimal, when a support provider acts for the landlord, whether a CIC is a voluntary organisation, and how HMO, planning and tenancy law apply. Decisions turn on facts, so the safest position is a structure that matches what happens day to day.
- The four categories of specified accommodationSpecified accommodation is the group of supported housing types where rent is paid through Housing Benefit, even for people on Universal Credit. There are four categories. Exempt accommodation, managed properties, domestic abuse refuges and local authority hostels. Each has its own tests for who the landlord can be and whether support is required.