Supported exempt accommodation software
What supported exempt accommodation software needs to do for registered providers, managing agents and support providers, the evidence councils ask for on Housing Benefit claims, how to get ready for licensing, and where Residoc fits.
Supported exempt accommodation software keeps the evidence that an exempt accommodation scheme provides more than minimal care, support or supervision: each resident's needs assessment, support plan, risk assessment and signed support session records, with reviews booked on time. Councils assess Housing Benefit claims on that evidence, and the coming supported housing licences will be judged on it too. The best SEA software makes those records quick for support workers to complete and quick for providers to produce when a council asks.
Residoc is supported housing software built for exempt accommodation in England. Support workers complete every form as a short guided conversation, signed on screen, and a resident's whole file downloads in one go.
Who uses supported exempt accommodation software
Most exempt accommodation schemes involve more than one organisation, and each needs something different from the software.
| Role | What they do | What they need from software |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord (registered provider, charity or voluntary organisation) | Holds the legal interest in the property and is the landlord for Housing Benefit | Evidence that support is being provided across every scheme, ready for the council |
| Managing agent | Runs the scheme day to day for the landlord: lettings, residents, staff and often the support | Every resident's records complete, reviews on time, and an overview of what is outstanding |
| Support provider | Delivers the care, support or supervision, sometimes separately from the landlord | Session records, support plans and risk assessments that are quick to complete and signed |
| Council Housing Benefit team | Decides whether claims qualify and reviews them | Records it can read and trust, produced when it asks |
Whichever role you hold, the support records are the part of the scheme a council looks at hardest. A managing agent cannot itself be the exempt accommodation landlord, but under the draft licensing regulations the person managing or in control of the accommodation would hold the licence, which often means the managing agent.
What councils ask exempt accommodation providers for
Councils assess exempt accommodation claims on the claimant's needs and the support actually provided. The DWP's guidance for supported housing claims lets them ask providers for needs assessments and other information. Each council asks in its own way, but the same records come up again and again.
Coventry City Council, for one, asks new supported exempt accommodation providers for:
- a completed application form and a staff structure
- a rent breakdown separating eligible from ineligible service charges
- a signed head lease for each property and copies of service level agreements
- support plans for each resident, signed and dated by the resident and the support worker
It then visits every property to assess the quality of the support and the property standards. Other councils ask for needs assessments, care or support plans and details of who provides the support and how it is funded, and review claims regularly.
The pattern is the same everywhere: the council wants to see, resident by resident, that real support is planned, delivered, recorded and reviewed.
What supported exempt accommodation software should do
- A needs assessment for every resident. Recorded at move-in, covering health, money, legal status, independent living skills and risks. The draft licensing regulations would require one on moving in or within four weeks.
- Support plans signed and dated. By the resident and the support worker, with short, medium and long-term goals in the resident's words.
- Reviews booked automatically. Support plan and risk assessment reviews booked from the plan itself, and overdue reviews shown before a council finds them.
- Signed support session records. What support was given, how, which goal it worked on and what the resident said, signed at the end of each session.
- A contact log. Calls, letters and visits between sessions, with evidence attached.
- Every move-in document. Licence agreement, fire safety induction, Housing Benefit forms, service charge agreement, missing person profile and the resident's rights, signed and filed.
- A whole file on request. One resident's records, or everything from a set period, downloaded when the council asks.
- An audit trail. Who completed each record and when, with a history of every change.
- Works on a phone, during the visit. So records are finished with the resident, not typed up later.
Getting ready for supported housing licensing
The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets councils in England license supported housing against new National Supported Housing Standards. The government published draft licensing regulations for consultation on 15 October 2026. In the draft, licences would apply to all supported housing under the Act's definition, not only exempt accommodation, last five years, and carry the support standards as licence conditions. Full licensing is not expected before 2027.
For an exempt accommodation provider, the practical step now is to make sure every resident has a needs assessment within four weeks of moving in, a signed support plan and risk assessment reviewed on time, and signed records of the support they receive. Those are the records a licensing authority will look for, and the same records councils already ask for on Housing Benefit claims. Our guide to the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 covers the Act in full.
How Residoc works for supported exempt accommodation
Residoc is supported housing software for exempt accommodation in England. It covers the support side of a scheme in one place: resident information, support records, the calendar, every document and an AI assistant.
- More than 20 supported housing forms. From the Initial Needs Assessment, licence agreement and Housing Benefit forms at move-in to the Support Session Record, contact log, incident reports, missed meeting and warning letters and the exit form.
- Each form as a guided conversation. Support workers answer one question at a time, typed or spoken, so every field is covered and records are consistent across every scheme.
- Signed on screen. The resident and support worker sign on the phone, tablet or laptop, and the finished PDF is filed to the resident's record.
- Reviews booked for you. Finishing a support plan books its reviews at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Finishing a risk assessment books its reviews at 3, 6 and 9 months and the next full assessment at 12, all in the calendar.
- Document checks for every current resident. Providers see missing move-in documents, support plan and risk assessment reviews due or overdue, and forms left in draft, resident by resident.
- External audits kept with their actions. An auditor's report, its score as printed and each finding, with the actions to put it right.
- Properties and moves. Each resident's home is recorded against the organisation's properties, and a move to another property keeps the resident's history.
- A resident's whole file in one download. Every record for a resident, or everything from a period you choose, as one ZIP file of PDFs.
- A history of every change. An activity log shows who did what and when, and a corrected record keeps the version it replaced.
- Answers from the resident's own records. Guide, Residoc's AI assistant, answers questions about a resident from the records on their file.
- Paper files brought across. Existing residents' paper records are copied in one part of one form at a time.
Residoc keeps the support and evidence side of an exempt accommodation scheme. Rent accounts, repairs and property certificates usually stay in your housing or finance system alongside it.
What Residoc costs
| Plan | Per resident per week, billed annually | Per resident per week, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | £3.25 | £5.00 |
| Platinum | £5.20 | £8.00 |
Platinum includes Guide, Residoc's AI assistant. Both plans include your whole team, support workers and managers alike, and there is a free trial. See the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What is supported exempt accommodation?
Supported housing where the landlord is a housing association, registered charity, voluntary organisation or county council, and the landlord or someone on its behalf provides more than minimal care, support or supervision. Housing Benefit for rent and eligible service charges is then exempt from the usual rent limits.
What software do exempt accommodation providers use?
Exempt accommodation providers use documents and spreadsheets, housing management systems, care software or specialist supported housing software. Because Housing Benefit depends on the support provided, specialist software that keeps signed needs assessments, support plans and session records for each resident fits best.
What evidence do councils need for exempt accommodation Housing Benefit claims?
Councils commonly ask for needs assessments, support plans signed and dated by the resident and support worker, details of who provides the support and how it is funded, and a breakdown of rent and service charges. Some also ask for head leases and service level agreements, and visit properties to assess the support.
What is a managing agent in supported exempt accommodation?
An organisation that runs a scheme day to day for the landlord, often handling lettings, residents, staff and support. A managing agent cannot itself be the exempt accommodation landlord, because the landlord must hold the legal interest in the property.
Will managing agents need a supported housing licence?
Under the draft licensing regulations published in October 2026, a licence would be held by the person managing or in control of the supported housing, which can be the managing agent. The regulations are still in draft, so check the final rules when they are made.
Does exempt accommodation software help with licensing?
It helps you keep the records licensing will look at: needs assessments within four weeks of moving in, support plans and risk assessments reviewed on time, and signed records of the support given. Software does not grant a licence or decide Housing Benefit, but it lets you show your evidence quickly.
How do you evidence more than minimal support in exempt accommodation?
With a needs assessment showing what support each resident needs, a support plan setting out how it will be given, and signed records of each support session showing it was given. Reviews on time show the support is kept up to date.
Is there a CRM for supported exempt accommodation?
Yes. Specialist supported housing software works as a CRM built around residents rather than sales: their details, support records, appointments and documents in one place. Residoc keeps each resident's whole file together and shows providers what is outstanding.
How much does supported exempt accommodation software cost?
Suppliers usually charge per resident or per room. Residoc is £3.25 per resident per week on Gold or £5.20 on Platinum when billed annually, with your whole team included and a free trial. Try it for free.
Sources
- Department for Work and Pensions: Housing Benefit guidance for supported housing claims
- Coventry City Council: Supported exempt accommodation: new providers and schemes
- GOV.UK: Supported housing licensing regime: consultation on draft regulations (15 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023
