Richard and Hannah lived in exempt accommodation, and Sam works directly with people who do.

They’ve bravely shared their stories with us to show the impact rogue landlords can have on people’s lives.

Thanks to our Regulate the Rogues campaign, the UK Government has said that it backs the Bill that will bring in new laws to force out rogue landlords and protect people living in exempt accommodation. But time is running out for it to pass into law.

Explore Richard, Sam and Hannah's stories and share an email message with Michael Gove telling him to make sure the Bill passes.

Richard's story

Richard turned to privately-run supported exempt accommodation in Coventry when he had nowhere else to go.

“It wasn’t a nice house at all. There was a load of repairs that needed doing. I was reporting the repairs, and nothing was getting done. The place was disgusting. There were rats in the back garden.”

Richard had been told when he moved in that the housing provider would support him to look for more permanent accommodation, and support staff would be in touch with him regularly.

“But there was no support at all. They only came out to the house to collect the service charge money. They were useless.”

“It had a bad impact on my mental health. I was even crying myself to sleep at night – it was that bad.”

“Everybody has the right to a good, decent house and to be safe. They need to sort out these types of properties and make sure everything is done properly. Don’t say you’re going to help people and then do nothing - it’s not fair. That’s my message to Michael Gove.

Share Richard's message with Gove

Sam's story

Sam works as a housing officer, helping people facing homelessness find accommodation.

The city they work in has a massive shortage of temporary accommodation - so they have no choice but to offer exempt accommodation to people who are homeless.

For some people they work with, exempt accommodation is a good quick fix for if they have nowhere to stay. But they worry about some people we place in exempt accommodation.

They often have no control over where they place people with complex needs, or even if shared accommodation is the right option for them.

They've known people to be attacked, robbed and exposed to drug use by other residents in exempt accommodation. Many providers are not really providing support.

They have residents asking on a daily basis why it’s called supported accommodation - because there is no support. Someone just comes round to collect the service charge and offers no other help.

They think it’s vital that exempt accommodation sector is better regulated to make sure people are safe and they get the support they need. That's their message to Michael Gove.

Share Sam's message with Gove

Hannah's story

 Hannah lived in supported exempt accommodation after being evicted from her home.

She was trying to get sober and initially benefitted from the accommodation's clear rules. They’d say: ‘If you drink or use, you are out straight away.’ And for me, that worked.”

But the support wasn’t tailored to Hannah’s needs. “The manager made a care plan, but no action was taken. The support was practically non-existent.”

“I was desperate, I wanted to move out of there so badly, I was going to sleep every night with my jaw clenched. I just needed to move on with my life – I so badly wanted to go back to work. I was happy, I was sober. And this was holding me back. There was no move-on support at all.

“I was working but I was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) because you have to be on ESA to pay the bills for the supported housing. I was stuck because I could only work up to 16 hours.” This made it hard for Hannah to rent a home.

"I’m still in denial – or perhaps grief, from all the time I was in supported housing.

“I would hate to see these places disappear, but the way they are at the moment, they’re taking advantage of a vulnerability. That’s my message to Michael Gove.”

Share Hannah's message with Gove