Big news! The Bill to stop rogue landlords exploiting people facing homelessness is one step closer to becoming law after passing a vital test in Parliament.

The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill has passed its 'second reading' in the House of Lords, with support from all sides. That means we’re one step closer to a huge campaign victory to support people facing homelessness.

The Bill will transform the lives of thousands of people living with the misery of unregulated exempt accommodation and help end homelessness sooner. And it’s a reminder that when we work together, we can achieve huge change.

We wouldn’t be here without months of pressure from Crisis supporters who have backed our Regulate the Rogues campaign in support of the Bill, which is a Private Member’s Bill put forward by Bob Blackman MP.

“An absolute blight on our housing system”

Exempt accommodation is shared housing for people with support needs. This includes people fleeing domestic abuse, people experiencing homelessness and those with mental health difficulties.

There are many good providers who work hard to support their residents to live independently and move on to a home of their own.

However, a lack of regulation has allowed rogue landlords to enter this system and exploit it for profit. Many offer little or no support despite charging high fees. Our Chief Executive, Matt Downie, has described the behaviour of these rogue landlords as an “absolute blight on our housing system”.

The Bill will introduce new laws to force out rogue landlords, improve standards and stop dishonest landlords from trying other ways to game the system.

 

The journey towards change

Together, we’ve kept the pressure on politicians to pass the Bill at every parliamentary stage.

More than 5,000 of you signed Crisis members Wayne and Ian's open letter calling for the government to act. And your actions meant that, in November 2022, MPs from all political parties backed the Bill. The Government also indicated that it would offer its support.

In the past month, you helped fill Michael Gove’s inbox with messages urging him to make sure the Bill passes as soon as possible

On 21 April 2022, peers in the House of Lords debated and had the opportunity to amend the Bill – known as the Second Reading.

The fact that the Bill passed this stage unamended is testament to the cross-party agreement on the urgent need to act.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook, a Levelling Up, Housing and Communities minister, emphasised the significance of the Bill, stating “for me it is one of the most important bills that we've seen coming through for quite a long time.”

What happens next?

The Bill is expected to face further scrutinty before going for Royal Assent. This is when the King formally agrees to make a bill into an Act of Parliament. It’s at this point that it will officially become law.

When it does, we’ll be able to celebrate a transformative campaign win that will help people facing homelessness across the country.

As well as giving councils new powers to regulate supported housing, the Bill provides more protection for people made homeless because they’ve left poor quality accommodation.

It will also see the creation of a new national advisory panel to work with the government to oversee change and raise standards.

The Bill won’t change things overnight. There will be a period of consultation to make sure the new regulations deliver the change that is needed. And we need the Government to make sure councils have the funds to use their new powers.

But this is a significant step towards our goal of making sure everyone facing homelessness has access to the housing and support they need.

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