The Mayor needs to act urgently to tackle serious problems with exempt accommodation in London, after the first investigation into this type of supported housing in the capital found evidence

of at least two people killed.

An investigation by the London Assembly Housing Committee uncovered that some rogue providers are disregarding their safeguarding responsibilities and, in some cases, actively targeting vulnerable Londoners and placing them in unsuitable, dangerous housing.

These rogue providers charge astronomical rents to the local council. London boroughs have spent at least £107 million on exempt accommodation in the last year alone.

Supported housing offers a wide range of accommodation-based support for vulnerable people, aiming to give them independence, support and control over their housing choices. London is home to a variety of excellent supported housing that enables people to move on from challenging life circumstances.

But serious concerns have been raised about a particular part of the sector, a type of supported housing known as non-commissioned exempt accommodation. In this sector, the usual caps of Housing Benefit do not apply, and there is no consistent regulation or oversight.

While the issue of exempt accommodation has been scrutinised on a national level and in other cities such as Birmingham, this is the first large-scale investigation into how the issue is affecting Londoners.

The Housing Committee has today published its report Unsafe and unregulated: London's rogue supported housing providers, with 19 recommendations to the Mayor and Greater London Authority (GLA) on how to tackle problems with exempt accommodation in London.

Poor quality housing and a lack of support and safeguarding mean that some residents are living in unsafe conditions, in the worst cases resulting in serious harm, with rogue providers entering the market to exploit the housing benefit system and charge extortionate rents.

Some exempt accommodation providers are charging £500 to £700 a week but boroughs currently have no way of knowing if the care or housing provided is of good quality or value for money.

Key findings include:

• Instances of poor-quality and unsafe exempt accommodation, including evidence of two homicides in non-commissioned exempt accommodation.
• Data from 22 London boroughs suggests around 17,100 households living in exempt accommodation, with this number increasing.
• £107 million spent by 16 London boroughs on exempt accommodation in the last year alone.
• A high level of demand for supported housing, with which current delivery is not keeping up.

The London Assembly supports the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill brought forward by Bob Blackman MP and believes that regulation is needed to give local authorities more powers to challenge poor quality providers.

Recommendations in the report include:

• The GLA should immediately start work with boroughs, providers, and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to better understand and start to tackle quality issues in exempt accommodation in London.
• The GLA should broaden use of its ‘report a rogue landlord’ and ‘rogue landlord checker’ tool by allowing reporting and checking of exempt accommodation landlords.
• The Mayor should bring together Bob Blackman MP and other London stakeholders to discuss the impact of new regulation on London.
• The Mayor should write to the Secretary of State to highlight that new regulation must come with sufficient new funding, so as not to add an unmanageable burden to London boroughs.

Sem Moema AM, Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, said:

“The findings of our investigation are deeply troubling. While the Housing Committee knew of concerns about exempt accommodation nationally, it was shocking to hear the stories of violence and exploitation in London, in housing that costs the taxpayer millions.

“We want to make clear that there are good providers of exempt accommodation in London and we heard examples of excellent support and services to residents.

“But some rogue agents are treating exempt accommodation as a licence to print money, resulting in poor quality housing, a disregard for the appropriate support and safeguarding, and a dangerous environment for the vulnerable Londoners living there.

“Our investigation is the first inquiry into how the issue is affecting Londoners and we believe it uncovers both a financial scandal and a duty of care scandal.

“We urge the Mayor to take forward our recommendations to tackle problems with exempt accommodation in London and end the living nightmare for Londoners exploited by rogue providers.” Photo by DAVID HOLT from London, England, Wikimedia commons.