How to prepare for a supported housing audit

Whether it is a council review, a commissioner's visit, a licence application from 2027 or an independent audit, the questions come back to the same evidence. Preparing for one prepares you for all of them.

The plan below takes about two working days for a provider with fewer than ten schemes. Larger providers should plan a week and split the work.

Step 1: map your schemes

Make one table with a row for every scheme:

• address and number of bed spaces
• landlord, and the basis of its status
• support provider, if different
• commissioned or not
• Housing Benefit category you claim under
• managing agent, if any

This often turns up surprises, such as a property where nobody is sure who the landlord is.

Step 2: check the structure

For each scheme, test the four exempt accommodation tests. Is the landlord the right kind of body? Is there care, support or supervision? Is it provided by the landlord or someone acting for it? Is it more than minimal? If the answer to any is unclear, that is the first thing to fix.

Step 3: sample resident files

Pick at least one in ten files, and never fewer than five per scheme. Choose at random, then add a few for residents with recent incidents or complaints.

Step 4: test each file

For each file, check:

1. Was a needs assessment completed on arrival or within four weeks?
2. Is there a support plan based on it, with goals in the resident's words?
3. Has the plan been reviewed on time?
4. Do support records show support delivered as planned, with dates and times?
5. Are risks assessed and managed?

Score each file and note the gaps.

Step 5: safeguarding and incidents

Look at the last six months of the safeguarding log and incident records. For each entry, check who was told, when, and what happened next. Look for patterns, such as several incidents at one address.

Step 6: property compliance

For each property, confirm the HMO licence if needed, gas safety record, electrical inspection, fire risk assessment, alarm tests and any open repairs. See property standards and safety for the full list.

Step 7: rent and service charges

Check that each scheme has a line-by-line breakdown, the calculation behind it and last year's reconciliation. Make sure support costs are not in the rent. See rent and service charges.

Step 8: governance

Gather board minutes for the last year, key policies with review dates, evidence for the fit and proper person test for directors and managers, and staff recruitment and training records.

Step 9: write the action plan

List every gap with an owner and a date. Put anything that affects resident safety first, then anything that affects Housing Benefit eligibility, then everything else. Review progress monthly.

Repeat the whole check every six months. The second time takes half as long, and by the third it is routine.