Supported housing bill targeting rogue landlords closer to becoming law

Supported accommodation is used to house vulnerable people and provide social care

A bill targeting "cowboy" landlords providing poor support to vulnerable residents has moved closer to becoming legislation.

The Supported Housing Bill received an unopposed second reading in Parliament.

Its sponsor, Conservative MP Bob Blackman, said some "rogue" landlords were claiming extra taxpayer cash for social care they failed to provide.

The bill would require councils to review supported accommodation and give them more licencing powers.

Supported accommodation is used to house prison leavers, rough sleepers, people who have escaped domestic abuse, and people dealing with addiction issues - all while being given some kind of social care support.

Landlords are able to claim extra money from the taxpayer as the housing is exempt from the benefits cap and often charge higher rates because of the costs of care.

However Mr Blackman, MP for Harrow East, told the House of Commons the sector was "absolutely rife with rogue cowboys taking advantage of and exploiting vulnerable people".

"The primary concern that arose was the abysmal level of care that's been categorised as appropriate support," he said.

"The residents who are referred to such institutions are critically vulnerable but host potential and are trying to rebuild their lives."

Conservative MP Bob Blackman said the care provided by some landlords was "abysmal"

The bill was supported by Labour and the government with communities minister Felicity Buchan branding the "abuse" of the supported housing system "completely unacceptable".

"Time is up," for rogue landlords, she said.

Shabana Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, said there were "whole streets across our country that have been utterly ghettoised by the proliferation of poorly-run supported exempt accommodation".

"When you are unlucky and you get a rogue provider and have vulnerable people housed in those properties, what you are effectively getting is state-sponsored grooming, state-sponsored abuse, and all sorts of other horrors," she said.

While Labour supported the bill, it called for underlying issues such as a shortage of affordable housing and reductions in funding for housing support to also be addressed.

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As well as giving greater power to local authorities, the bill will also allow the government to create national standards for supported housing.

It is due to undergo further scrutiny at a later date.