Supported housing compliance checklist
A complete compliance checklist for supported and exempt accommodation in England: property safety certificates and how often they are due, the support records every resident needs, the provider-level checks, and what licensing will add.
Supported housing compliance has two halves, and providers need both. Property compliance keeps the building safe: an annual gas safety check, an electrical inspection at least every five years, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a fire risk assessment for shared areas, a legionella risk assessment and an HMO licence where needed. Support compliance shows the support is real: a needs assessment, signed support plan and risk assessment for every resident, reviewed on time, with signed records of each support session. Councils check both, and the coming supported housing licences will too.
This checklist is for supported accommodation, supported exempt accommodation, hostels and other supported housing in England. Requirements differ between properties and tenancy types, so use it as a starting point and check the rules that apply to each of your schemes.
Property compliance checklist
| Requirement | How often | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer | Every 12 months, with a copy to residents | Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 |
| Electrical installation inspection and test (EICR) | At least every 5 years, with urgent faults fixed within 28 days | Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020, extended to social landlords from November 2025 |
| Electrical equipment supplied by the landlord (social landlords) | At least every 5 years | The same regulations, as amended in 2025 |
| Smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation | Checked working at the start of each tenancy | Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 |
| Carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (not gas cookers) | Checked working at the start of each tenancy | The same regulations |
| Fire risk assessment for shared areas | Kept up to date, and reviewed when anything changes | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 |
| Fire alarm, emergency lighting and fire doors in shared houses | Tested and serviced on a schedule | Fire Safety Order and HMO standards |
| Legionella risk assessment | Reviewed when the water system or its use changes | Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and HSE guidance |
| HMO licence | When five or more people from two or more households share; some councils license smaller HMOs | Housing Act 2004 |
| Energy Performance Certificate | Valid when the property is let | Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations |
| Damp, mould and repairs | Investigated and fixed promptly | Landlord repairing duties. Check whether Awaab's Law timescales apply to your tenancies |
For supported housing in a building with several flats, more duties apply to the building's common parts under fire safety law, including information for residents about fire safety.
Support compliance checklist: every resident
These are the records councils ask for on Housing Benefit claims, and the records licensing will look at.
At move-in
- Needs assessment, completed on moving in. The draft licensing regulations would require one on moving in or within four weeks.
- Licence or tenancy agreement, signed and explained
- Housing Benefit authorisation and declaration
- Service charge agreement, showing what Housing Benefit does and does not cover
- Fire safety induction, each point explained and signed
- Statement of the resident's rights, complaints and how their data is used
- Emergency contacts and a missing person profile
Ongoing
- Support plan with goals, signed and dated by the resident and support worker
- Support plan reviews on time, commonly at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months
- Risk assessment, reviewed on time and whenever risk changes
- Signed support session records showing what support was given
- Contact log of calls, letters and visits between sessions
- Incident reports, recorded on the day
- Records of missed appointments and any warnings
At move-out
- An exit form recording where the resident is going and why
Provider compliance checklist
- Legal status for exempt accommodation. A constitution showing the landlord is a not-for-profit body, and head leases that leave it in real control, including over rents.
- Rent breakdown. For each property, separating core rent, eligible service charges and ineligible charges such as support.
- Agreements. Management agreements with any managing agent and service level agreements with any support provider.
- Policies. Safeguarding, complaints, data protection, risk, health and safety, lone working, fire safety, missing persons, incidents and ending a licence.
- Staff. Safe recruitment, DBS checks at the level each role allows, training and supervision.
- Data protection. Registration with the Information Commissioner's Office, and a clear record of how residents' information is kept and shared.
- Registration where it applies. The Regulator of Social Housing for registered providers, the Care Quality Commission for personal care, Ofsted for 16 and 17-year-olds.
- Oversight. A regular check, across every resident and property, of what is overdue, missing or unsigned.
What licensing will add
The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets councils license supported housing against new National Supported Housing Standards. Under the draft licensing regulations published for consultation on 15 October 2026, licences would last five years and carry conditions covering both halves of this checklist: housing that is safe, clean and accessible, and support that meets the national standards, including a needs assessment for each resident on moving in or within four weeks. HMO licence holders would get transitional protection so a property is not licensed twice. Full licensing is not expected before 2027.
Common compliance gaps in supported housing
- Needs assessments missing for residents who moved in quickly or were transferred from another scheme.
- Support plan and risk assessment reviews overdue, because nobody booked them.
- Session records unsigned, or written up days later.
- Certificates expired on one property in a large portfolio, because they were tracked in a spreadsheet.
- Fire safety induction not recorded, so there is no proof residents were told what to do.
- No overview, so gaps are found by the council or auditor instead of the provider.
Where Residoc fits
Residoc is supported housing software that covers the support compliance half of this checklist for every resident.
- Every move-in document, guided and signed. Needs assessment, licence agreement, Housing Benefit forms, service charge agreement, fire safety induction, missing person form and the resident's rights, each completed as a short conversation and signed on screen.
- Reviews booked automatically. Support plan reviews at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, and risk assessment reviews at 3, 6 and 9 months with the next full assessment at 12.
- Signed support session records, contact logs and incident reports, filed to each resident's record.
- Document checks. Providers see, for every current resident, missing move-in documents, reviews due or overdue and forms left in draft.
- External audits kept with their actions. An auditor's report, its score as printed and each finding, with the actions to put it right.
- Evidence in one download. A resident's whole file, or everything from a period, as one ZIP file.
Residoc does not track property certificates. Gas, electrical and fire safety certificates usually sit in a property compliance or housing management system alongside it.
Frequently asked questions
What certificates does supported housing need?
A gas safety certificate every 12 months, an electrical installation condition report at least every five years, an Energy Performance Certificate, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a fire risk assessment for shared areas, a legionella risk assessment and an HMO licence where the property needs one.
Does supported housing need an HMO licence?
Often. A property shared by five or more people from two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence, and some councils license smaller shared houses. Check with the council for each property. The draft supported housing licensing regulations would avoid licensing the same property twice.
Who is responsible for compliance in a managing agent scheme?
The landlord stays responsible, even where the management agreement passes tasks to a managing agent. The agreement should say who arranges each check and keeps each record, and the landlord should be able to see them at any time.
What support records does supported housing need to keep?
For every resident: a needs assessment, a licence or tenancy, Housing Benefit forms, a fire safety induction, a support plan and risk assessment reviewed on time, signed support session records, a contact log and incident reports.
How often should supported housing support plans be reviewed?
Commonly at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, and whenever a resident's needs change. Check your contract and the council's expectations, which may set a timescale.
Does Awaab's Law apply to supported housing?
Awaab's Law applies to social landlords' tenancies from 27 October 2025, starting with damp, mould and emergency hazards. Some guidance says it does not apply to supported accommodation or licences, so check how it applies to each of your schemes and tenancy types.
What will supported housing licensing check?
Under the draft regulations, that the licence holder is fit and proper, the housing is safe, clean and accessible, and the support meets the National Supported Housing Standards, including a needs assessment for each resident on moving in or within four weeks.
Is there software for supported housing compliance?
Yes. Property compliance tools track certificates and repairs. Supported housing software such as Residoc covers support compliance: every resident's assessments, plans, reviews and signed records, with outstanding documents and overdue reviews shown to the provider. Try it for free.
Sources
- Health and Safety Executive: Gas safety: landlords and letting agents
- GOV.UK: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance
- legislation.gov.uk: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022
- Health and Safety Executive: Legionella and landlords' responsibilities
- GOV.UK: Supported housing licensing regime: consultation on draft regulations (15 October 2026)
- Shelter England: How Awaab's Law changes the rules on hazards in social housing
