Free good practice manual
Managing Housing Benefit Claims in Supported Housing
Supported housing changes lives, and enhanced Housing Benefit is one of the main ways it is paid for. Our manual brings together the legislation, the DWP guidance and thirty years of case law, and explains how they apply to the way supported housing actually works, so that councils and providers can reach good decisions quickly and avoid disputes that help nobody.
Five things the manual makes clear
- The DWP guidance is helpful, but it is not law. Where it differs from the case law, the case law applies.
- There is no minimum number of support hours. “More than minimal” is a modest, qualitative test: does the support make a real difference to the tenant’s ability to live in the accommodation?
- Intensive housing management and maintenance can be support and supervision in their own right. Housing-related support and supervision are eligible for Housing Benefit. Care and personal support are not.
- Evidence should be proportionate. Scheme evidence should be provided once and reviewed, not requested with every claim. Claimant evidence should come from records providers already keep.
- Contrivance is the right tool for exploitative arrangements, not for genuine providers. Schemes funded only by Housing Benefit are not contrived for that reason alone.
Built on common ground
The manual states SHP’s position, based on thoroughly researched case law and long experience of how supported housing works in practice. It is written for councils and providers alike, as a shared reference point. We do not support adversarial approaches to Housing Benefit by either side, and the manual includes practical tools for working together: a model local protocol, evidence checklists, a model information request and a model decision notice.
Free to use and share
The manual is free to read, download and share under a Creative Commons licence. The templates can be adapted for your own organisation. We will keep it up to date as the law changes. Sign up for SHP’s free briefings and choose manual updates to hear about new versions.
How SHP can help
The manual is free. If you would like help applying it, we work with:
Supported housing providers
- reviewing schemes against the exempt accommodation tests
- rent and service charge build-ups, including intensive housing management
- preparing scheme evidence packs and responding to information requests
- revisions, appeals and tribunal representation
- board and staff briefings
Councils
- reviewing supported housing caseloads and subsidy risk
- local protocols and partnership arrangements with providers
- training for Housing Benefit, commissioning and housing options teams, based on the manual
- preparing for supported housing strategies and licensing under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023
Councils and providers together
- The Exempt Accommodation Project(https://supportedhousing.blog/the-exempt-accommodation-project/), our community of good practice bringing registered providers, supported housing providers and councils together
info@supportedhousingpeople.co.uk | 0800 772 0065
Managing Housing Benefit Claims in Supported Housing is guidance, not legal advice. It sets out SHP’s position. © Supported Housing People Ltd 2026.