The National Supported Housing Standards: 36 criteria in six standards
Updated 25 Sept 2026 · Sources
The National Supported Housing Standards were published word for word in the government response of 16 April 2026 (opens in a new tab): 36 criteria across six standards. They sit inside licence condition 3, care, support and supervision. Every service must meet them unless it is exempt, and commissioned support is exempt, with the licence holder reporting any concerns about it.
The Standards were rewritten so that the support provider can meet them in full. The housing elements sit with the licence holder through the other four licence conditions.
The six standards
Twenty of the 36 criteria can be met with documents and records alone. The other sixteen need a change in practice, which takes longer and is harder to fake.
- Person-centred support6 documents and records · 6 practice change12 criteria
- Staff and safeguarding4 documents and records · 3 practice change7 criteria
- Environment2 documents and records · 3 practice change5 criteria
- Statement of purpose5 documents and records · 0 practice change5 criteria
- Local need1 documents and records · 3 practice change4 criteria
- Empowerment2 documents and records · 1 practice change3 criteria
- Total20 documents and records · 16 practice change36 criteria
A Responsible Person Standard was consulted on and dropped, because the licence already requires a named service manager for each address.
The documents most small providers are missing
The Standards expect documents that many small providers do not have yet:
- an individual needs assessment for each resident
- a support plan for each resident
- a pre-eviction protocol
- an anti-social behaviour policy
- a training matrix covering four named topics
- a referral management process
- a statement of purpose
Ten traps most providers will miss
- Referral management sits in the Environment Standard, criterion 2, not a standard of its own. Out-of-area rationale attaches there.
- The Local Need Standard does not include a local connection test for residents.
- Local Need binds new schemes only once local strategies are published.
- The statement of purpose must not include the location, and may be displayed in the scheme instead of online.
- Staff training must cover four named topics: safeguarding, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse awareness, incident management.
- Performance management must reward achievement, not only address poor performance.
- Repairs means a process to report routine and emergency repairs, not to respond to requests.
- “Consistency of support” replaced “the same support worker”.
- A pre-eviction protocol is a named criterion.
- Safeguarding measures are a criterion separate from safeguarding training.
Evidence the government explicitly accepts
Time-stamped videos inside the accommodation, support reviews, resident training certificates and qualifications, a cleaning policy, a risk assessment policy, planned staff training, a safeguarding policy, safeguarding incident logs and actions, safeguarding referrals to local authorities, a performance management framework, staff appraisals, the staff rota, and staffing levels per scheme.
When Local Need applies
The Local Need Standard binds new schemes only, and only once local supported housing strategies are published. The first council strategies are planned for 31 March 2027; the regulations setting that deadline are not yet made (Local Supported Housing Strategies (opens in a new tab)). It does not include a local connection test for residents.
How firm the Standards are
The criteria are Confirmed policy: the government has published them and says licensing will use them. Their final wording follows the draft regulations, due for consultation in late 2026.
Sources
This guide is not legal advice