Licensing's Draft Rules Land, Panorama Reopens the Exempt File, and the Regulator Tightens Its Grip
Issue #31 · Week ending 22 October 2026 — the government consults on the draft licensing regulations under SHROA 2023, Panorama reopens the exempt-accommodation debate, and the Regulator presses its enforcement wave — plus the Upper Tribunal finds the HB absence rules discriminatory.
Awaab's Law Widens Its Net, the High Court Defines 'Unfit', and Closure Powers Are Reforged
Issue #30 · Week ending 15 October 2026 — the government opens a consultation extending Awaab's Law to supported and temporary accommodation; the High Court sets the first binding 'fitness for human habitation' test in Cummins v Heaver; and the Crime and Policing Act 2026 reforms closure powers.
The Register Spares Supported Housing, the Regulator Scores the Sector, and For-Profit Capital Piles In
Issue #27 · Week ending 24 September 2026. The December 2026 property register spares supported exempt accommodation, the Regulator publishes its 2025/26 Tenant Satisfaction Measures, and for-profit capital piles into the sector.
A New Duty Reshapes Temporary Accommodation, the High Court Redraws the Housing Duty, and Whitehall Audits Its Own Reforms
Issue #24 · Week ending 4 September 2026 — A new statutory temporary accommodation duty takes force and sharpens the exempt-accommodation boundary; a High Court ruling reshapes the housing duty; and MHCLG's value-for-money evaluation with the RSH stakeholder survey signal the next regulatory turn.
£9.6bn Flows to the Few, the Regulator Grades and Merges, and Care Leavers Test the Support Line
Issue #23 · Week ending 28 August 2026 — The first £9.6bn of the £39bn SAHP lands with most of the supported sector locked out; the RSH upgrades, merges Thrive into Chime, and consults on new standards; and £25m for care leavers meets the care-and-support condition.
A Third Return to Homelessness, the Regulator Rethinks Inspection, and Service Charges Go on Trial
Issue #21 · Week ending 14 August 2026 — New research finds a third of supported housing residents return to homelessness within three years; the RSH regrades providers and signals inspection reform; and Sanctuary's service-charge defeat sharpens the evidential test for exempt accommodation.
De-Registration Escalates, the Regulator Names a 'Purported' Exempt Provider, and STAIRs Reshapes Tenant Disclosure
Issue #19 · Week ending 31 July 2026: the RSH reaches for de-registration against exempt and lease-based providers, names a landlord 'purporting' to be exempt in a 20-judgement batch, and the Ombudsman's STAIRs reforms reshape tenant disclosure — grounded in the exempt-accommodation support test.
Awaab's Phase 2 Gets Its Date, SAHP Funding Faces Review, and Birmingham Demands Licensing
Issue #17
: Awaab's Law Phase 2 gets a firm 30 November 2026 date, SAHP capital funding goes under review, and Birmingham demands exempt-accommodation licensing — plus the sub-2% LHA affordability squeeze, analysed against the 'care, support or supervision' test.
Competence Becomes Compulsory, Supported Tenants Keep More, and De-Registration Meets Its Appeal
The RSH's Competence and Conduct Standard is confirmed for October 2026; the DWP lets 300,000 supported-housing residents keep more of their earnings; and a lease-based provider's appeal puts RSH de-registration — and exempt-accommodation Housing Benefit — under legal scrutiny.
The Vagrancy Act Falls, Awaab's Law Bites, and Cuckooing Gets Its Own Offence
Rough sleeping is decriminalised as the Vagrancy Act is repealed; the Ombudsman confirms Awaab's Law enforcement is now live; and the Crime and Policing Act 2026 delivers a new cuckooing offence. Plus RRA 2025 supported-accommodation analysis and a zero-rate VAT consultation.
