Background
We have recently been contacted by a large number of non-registered supported housing providers (i.e supported housing providers that are not registered providers/housing associations) who tell us that their local authorities require them to become registered providers of social housing in order to be able to be included on the local framework agreements and in order to qualify for Enhanced Housing Benefit.
We are also aware, as per my recent blog post, that some local authorities are restricting Enhanced Housing Benefit payments to non-registered providers to levels well below those paid to registered providers. This is because local authorities can only fully reclaim from the DWP the Enhanced Housing Benefit they pay to registered providers.
Add to that the fact that private-sector providers have never been entitled to Enhanced Housing Benefit and what we have is a three-tier system in which:
- Tenants of registered provider supported housing can receive full Enhanced Housing Benefit entitlements
- Tenants of nonregistered supported housing providers receive partial Enhanced Housing Benefit entitlements
- Tenants of private sector supported housing providers receive no Enhanced Housing Benefit at all
It simply wrong and discriminatory that tenants’ entitlements to Enhanced Housing Benefit, which is a personal benefit, are dependent on the legal identity of their landlord.
The Exempt Accommodation Project
The Exempt Accommodation Project is a way of helping local authorities to properly fund supported housing via Intensive Housing Management/Enhanced Housing Benefit without losing subsidy and without requiring non-registered providers to register as registered providers (housing associations).
The Exempt Accommodation Project is, of necessity, a means of tinkering with the existing system, which is based on the exempt accommodation rules. However, the UK government, having already said that supported housing will continue to be funded through the welfare system, should make the housing component of Universal Credit unrestricted for supported housing so that the true cost of supported housing can be met through a “Supported Housing Rent“. This should be payable to all supported housing providers, irrespective of their legal identity, provided they generate value[1] however, the wheels of state turn slowly so until that happens, we have the Exempt Accommodation Project.
How does the Exempt Accommodation Project work?
The Exempt Accommodation Project seeks to match non-registered supported housing providers that own or lease their properties with compatible registered providers in a more equitable way than traditional registered provider/managing agency agreements. The properties in question are then leased by the supported housing provider to the registered provider, usually on a short-term lease with break clauses. As a consequence, local authorities can fully reclaim the Enhanced Housing Benefit they pay, because a registered provider is the landlord.
- The registered provider is paid (via the Enhanced Housing Benefit claim) for what it does, which will vary depending on what, if anything, the supported housing provider needs. This is likely to appeal to smaller, community-based registered providers for whom the additional income could be a game-changer.
- The supported housing provider is also paid for what it does via the same Enhanced Housing Benefit claim, which will be more secure because the local authority can recover it from the DWP.
- Maintenance can continue to be provided by the supported housing provider or subcontracted to a specialist supported housing maintenance provider, or the registered provider can do it, depending on what works best for the supported housing provider.
- We provide the necessary leases/subleases and management agreements
- We calculate and negotiate the revised Enhanced Housing Benefit claims.
- It won’t cost you anything. The Exempt Accommodation Project charges a small fee to the rent for the duration of the arrangement, which is fully recoverable from Enhanced Housing Benefit in any case..
Supported housing providers and registered providers can choose who they work with and what components of the Exempt Accommodation Project structure they need.
Supported housing providers and registered providers that want to get involved will need to show that they generate value. They will need to show that they operate through recognised referral pathways and that they are legitimate providers as far as the local authorities are concerned.
The Exempt Accommodation Project is not an invitation to dubiously motivated opportunists to access Enhanced Housing Benefit. It is an opportunity for genuine supported housing providers and registered providers to operate with the financial and strategic approval of local authorities and to enable those local authorities to fully recover the Enhanced Housing Benefit they pay.
We are setting up a database of providers and registered providers in order to match one with the other. Matching may initially be done on the basis of geography; however, this may be less important than “cultural fit”. For example, some registered providers may prefer to work with non-profit supported housing providers. Others may be comfortable with private sector supported housing providers. Irrespective of legal identity supported housing providers must generate value, as must the registered providers.
It’s then up to the supported housing provider and registered provider to agree who does what and how the revenue is split. This is a discussion we can facilitate if that’s helpful. The split of roles can vary. Many supported housing providers that own or lease their property will want the registered provider to have a “light touch/arms-length” role. Others will want a greater level of registered provider involvement and the revenue would be split accordingly.
[1] Value Generation has 3 components: outcomes for people; cost benefit to the public purse & wider social and community benefit
Exempt Accommodation Project Structure
We have a management agreement template that can be adjusted to reflect the parties’ respective roles and the split of revenue.
We have lease and sublease models that can be used to enable the registered provider to take (typically) a 5–7-year leasehold interest in the supported housing providers’ properties with mutual break clauses.
We recommend a bespoke cloud-based supported housing management system (developed by a supported housing provider) that enables the registered provider to fulfil its regulatory oversight responsibilities and enables the supported housing provider to manage its housing and support roles. This costs just a few pence per day per occupied bed space and is Housing Benefit eligible.
We have links to a specialist supported housing management and maintenance provider if the supported housing provider isn’t resourced to do these things.
Management agreement relationships where the registered provider owns the property can be quite unequal. The Exempt Accommodation Project is intended for supported housing providers that own or lease their own property to work with registered providers on a more equal basis.
The Exempt Accommodation Project can also be a way of putting together registered providers and supported housing providers who want to discuss wider strategic partnerships and/or mergers.
As well as facilitating the entire structure of the of these arrangements (introductions, agreements, supported housing management system, maintenance options) we also revise the Enhanced Housing Benefit claims to take account of the (small) costs involved.
This idea generates huge value for local authorities, registered providers, supported housing providers and for residents of supported housing.
Getting Involved
Please get in touch if:
- You’re a supported housing provider that needs secure Enhanced Housing Benefit revenue and eligibility to be included on local authority framework agreements, or you’ve been told to register as a registered provider
- A registered provider that needs additional income or is interested in partnerships or mergers with supported housing providers
- A local authority that’s looking to manage the local supported housing market in such a way as to generate value without loss of Housing Benefit subsidy
We already have a growing list of supported housing providers and registered providers on the Exempt Accommodation Project database. Please become part of this.
Michael Patterson
June 2021