Supported exempt accommodation quality standards: what you are asked to show

Q: Which three rule sets apply, and why keep them apart?

The licence conditions. Five conditions and a fit-and-proper test. They are checked against the licence holder. Each one is pass or fail. The draft regulations of 15 October 2026 set them out in Schedule 3; they are proposed, not law yet. See supported housing licensing in 2027 or 2028; The National Supported Housing Standards. 36 requirements in six standards. They are checked against the support provider, under licence condition 3. See the National Standards explained; Local quality schemes. Birmingham’s S.E.A.Q.A.S. is run by BVSC (a Birmingham charity) with the council. It scores providers for an award and a place on the council’s preferred provider list. See S.E.A.Q.A.S. explained. Other councils that ran pilots or have their own standards include Blackburn, Blackpool, Bristol, Hull, Coventry, Kirklees and Adur & Worthing. A good S.E.A.Q.A.S.

Updated 29 Oct 2026 · Sources

The short answer

Three different rule sets apply to supported exempt accommodation: the licence conditions (pass or fail, checked against the licence holder), the National Supported Housing Standards (36 requirements, checked against the support provider) and local quality schemes such as Birmingham’s S.E.A.Q.A.S. Much of the evidence overlaps, but each is checked separately, by different people.

Supported exempt accommodation is supported housing where Housing Benefit pays the rent and residents also get care, support or supervision.

“Quality standards” for supported exempt accommodation now means three different things. Different people check each one. If you know which one you are being asked about, you avoid a lot of wasted paperwork.

Which three rule sets apply, and why keep them apart?

The licence conditions. Five conditions and a fit-and-proper test. They are checked against the licence holder. Each one is pass or fail. The draft regulations (opens in a new tab) of 15 October 2026 set them out in Schedule 3; they are proposed, not law yet. See supported housing licensing in 2027 or 2028.
The National Supported Housing Standards. 36 requirements in six standards. They are checked against the support provider, under licence condition 3. See the National Standards explained.
Local quality schemes. Birmingham’s S.E.A.Q.A.S. is run by BVSC (a Birmingham charity) with the council. It scores providers for an award and a place on the council’s preferred provider list. See S.E.A.Q.A.S. explained. Other councils that ran pilots or have their own standards include Blackburn, Blackpool, Bristol, Hull, Coventry, Kirklees and Adur & Worthing.

A good S.E.A.Q.A.S. score is not a licence, and a licence is not an award. Stedwise scores each one separately, and never mixes them into one number.

What do the national standards ask for?

Person-centred support6 documents and records · 6 practice change12 requirements
Staff and safeguarding4 documents and records · 3 practice change7 requirements
Environment2 documents and records · 3 practice change5 requirements
Statement of purpose5 documents and records · 0 practice change5 requirements
Local need1 documents and records · 3 practice change4 requirements
Empowerment2 documents and records · 1 practice change3 requirements
Total20 documents and records · 16 practice change36 requirements

The six National Supported Housing Standards and their requirements
Standard	Requirements	Documents and records	Practice change
Person-centred support	Requirements 12	Documents and records 6	Practice change 6
Staff and safeguarding	Requirements 7	Documents and records 4	Practice change 3
Environment	Requirements 5	Documents and records 2	Practice change 3
Statement of purpose	Requirements 5	Documents and records 5	Practice change 0
Local need	Requirements 4	Documents and records 1	Practice change 3
Empowerment	Requirements 3	Documents and records 2	Practice change 1
Total	Requirements 36	Documents and records 20	Practice change 16

The standards expect documents that most small providers do not have: individual needs assessments, support plans, a pre-eviction protocol, an anti-social behaviour policy, a training matrix (a record of staff training) covering four named topics, a referral management process and a statement of purpose.

Why do records and practice matter more than policies?

Policies are easy to copy. 61% of what S.E.A.Q.A.S. checks is records and practice, and assessors interview residents. If residents have a poor experience, a provider needs better practice, not better paperwork.

What are the common traps?

Managing referrals is part of the Environment Standard (requirement 2). It is not a standard of its own. Your reasons for taking people from outside the area belong there too.
The Local Need Standard does not include a local connection test for residents.
Local Need applies to new schemes only, and only once local strategies are published.
The statement of purpose must not include the location. You may display it 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 deal with poor performance.
Repairs means a process to report routine and emergency repairs. It does not mean a process to respond to requests.
“Consistency of support” replaced “the same support worker”.
A pre-eviction protocol is a requirement of its own. This is the written process you follow before you evict someone.
Safeguarding measures are a separate requirement from safeguarding training.

What stops you passing, whatever the score?

a non-compliant judgement from the Regulator of Social Housing (a grade of 3 or 4, or a notice). This stops you getting a S.E.A.Q.A.S. award.
an expired gas safety certificate, electrical installation condition report (EICR, the electrical safety report) or fire risk assessment
any core policy not adopted: safeguarding, complaints, anti-social behaviour, pre-eviction, referral management or statement of purpose

Sources

This guide is not legal advice

It sums up what the government and councils had published on the date above. The licensing regulations (the detailed law) are not made yet. On 15 October 2026 the government published them as a draft, to ask for views. The final text may change. Check the sources before you rely on a detail.