Copyright
© Supported Housing People Ltd 2026. The manual is written and published by Supported Housing People Ltd (“SHP”).
Current version: Version 1.0, published October 2026. The law is stated as at October 2026.
The current version is always at supportedhousing.blog/manual. Before relying on the manual, check that you have the latest version.
The licence in brief
We want this manual to be used as widely as possible by council Housing Benefit teams, supported housing providers, commissioners, advisers, tenants and anyone else who works with supported housing. It is free to read, download, print and share.
The manual is published under two Creative Commons licences:
| Part of the manual | Licence | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| The main text: the Foreword, Executive Summary, introductory sections, Glossary, Chapters 1 to 22, and Appendices 1, 2, 3 and 14 | Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) | You can share it freely, including within paid work, as long as you credit SHP and do not change it |
| The templates and checklists: Appendices 4 to 13 | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) | You can adapt them for your own use, as long as you credit SHP and say that you have changed them |
The summary edition of the manual is published under the same licence as the main text, CC BY-ND 4.0.
What you can do
With the main text (CC BY-ND 4.0)
You can:
- read, download, print and save the manual
- share it with colleagues, partners, tenants, councillors and anyone else, by email, on an intranet or in print
- give out unchanged copies at training, meetings and events, including paid training
- link to the manual or to any chapter or paragraph
- quote from it in letters, decision notices, reports, submissions, appeal papers and training materials
- put an unchanged copy, with this licence notice, on your own website or intranet
You must not:
- share a changed version of the manual, or of any chapter, as if it were SHP’s work
- remove the SHP name, the version number, the date or this licence notice from copies you share
- present the manual in a way that suggests SHP endorses you, your organisation or your use of it
Quoting a passage in your own document is not “changing” the manual, as long as you quote it accurately and credit SHP. If you want to share a translation, an easy-read version or another adapted version, please contact us first. We are usually glad to help.
With the templates and checklists (CC BY 4.0)
Appendices 4 to 13 are designed to be used and adapted. They include the scheme and claimant evidence checklists, the model needs assessment and support plan, the model activity log, the model rent and service charge build-up, the model regulation 86 information request, the model decision notice, the contrivance risk indicators checklist, the model local protocol and the data sharing agreement template.
You can:
- copy and use them as they are
- change them to suit your organisation, your council or your local arrangements
- add your own logo and remove the SHP branding
- share your adapted versions with others, including commercially
You must:
- credit SHP as the source
- say that you have changed the template, if you have
- not suggest that SHP has approved your adapted version
Editable Word versions of the templates are available from the manual home page.
How to credit the manual
When you share or quote the manual, please use this credit:
Managing Housing Benefit Claims in Supported Housing, Version 1.0, Supported Housing People Ltd, October 2026. Available at supportedhousing.blog/manual. Licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
When you cite a particular point, give the chapter and paragraph, for example:
SHP, Managing Housing Benefit Claims in Supported Housing, Version 1.0 (October 2026), Chapter 10, 10.4.
For an adapted template, use:
Adapted from Managing Housing Benefit Claims in Supported Housing, Appendix [number], Supported Housing People Ltd, October 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes have been made.
Material that belongs to others
The Creative Commons licences above cover SHP’s own content only. The manual also quotes and refers to material owned by others, which you can use on the terms set by its owner.
Legislation and government guidance. The manual quotes UK legislation and the DWP’s Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims. This material is Crown copyright.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Court and tribunal decisions. The manual quotes from judgments and tribunal decisions, many of them published on Find Case Law.
Contains information licensed under the Open Justice Licence v2.0.
Where the manual links to a published copy of a decision, always check the decision itself before relying on it.
Other sources. Where the manual quotes other publications, such as parliamentary reports, research or sector guidance, the rights in those quotations stay with their owners. The manual quotes them for the purposes of criticism, review and explanation, and gives the source each time.
The SHP name and logo
The Supported Housing People name, the SHP logo and the “Supported Housing Expertise” tagline are not covered by the Creative Commons licences. You may use the name to credit the manual, but please do not use the logo or tagline on your own materials, or in any way that suggests SHP endorses you, without our written permission.
Versions and updates
The law on supported housing and Housing Benefit keeps changing. We will update the manual as new decisions are made, the DWP guidance changes and the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 is implemented.
- Each version has a version number and date on the cover and in the footer of every page.
- A summary of what has changed in each version is on the “What’s changed” page.
- Earlier versions stay available in the version archive, so that anyone can check what a document cited at the time said.
- A Creative Commons licence cannot be withdrawn once given. Earlier versions remain licensed on the same terms, but they may be out of date. Please share the current version where you can.
To hear about new versions, sign up for SHP’s free briefings at supportedhousing.blog/manual and choose manual updates.
Status of the manual and limits on liability
The manual sets out SHP’s position on Housing Benefit in supported housing, based on our research into the legislation, the DWP guidance and the case law, and our experience of how supported housing works in practice.
It is guidance, not legal advice. Every Housing Benefit decision depends on its own facts, and decision-makers must apply the law to the circumstances of each claim. For advice on a particular case, councils should consult their legal services, and providers and tenants should seek independent advice.
We take care to make the manual accurate, but we cannot guarantee that it is complete, error-free or up to date at the time you read it. As far as the law allows, SHP accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the manual. The Creative Commons licences also include their own disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability, which apply to anyone using the manual under them.
Personal data in the templates
Several templates are designed to hold personal data about tenants, including special category data about health and support needs. If you use them, you are responsible for complying with UK data protection law, including having a lawful basis, keeping data to what is necessary and keeping it secure. Appendix 13 and Chapter 12 (12.6) explain the main points.
Corrections, feedback and permissions
If you spot an error, know of a decision or change the manual should cover, or want permission for a use these licences do not cover, please contact us:
Supported Housing People Ltd info@supportedhousingpeople.co.uk supportedhousingpeople.co.uk