What is exempt accommodation?

If you live in supported accommodation you receive care, support and supervision from your landlord. In the benefits calculator you should only select this option if the care, support and supervision you receive is more than 'minimal'. This is because we assume that people selecting supported accommodation are exempt from the benefits cap and under occupation rules, and this is only true if you receive more than 'minimal' support.

A more formal definition of 'exempt accommodation' is as follows: "Exempt Accommodation is an individual dwelling for which a person is liable to make payments, that they occupy as their home and which is a resettlement place provided by persons to whom the Secretary of State has given assistance by way of a grant pursuant to section 30 of the Jobseeker's Act 1995 (grants for resettlement places), or provided by a non-metropolitan County Council, in England, a housing association, a registered charity or voluntary organisation where that body or person acting on its behalf also provides the claimant with care, support or supervision."

If you are in doubt please check with your landlord. If your accommodation is not exempt please instead select ‘tenant – social and voluntary’.

Why is this accommodation treated differently?

This has been removed from the benefit cap and under occupation regulations as this accommodation is usually more expensive to rent due to the care and/or support being provided to the tenant.

If you are claiming Universal Credit

If you are claiming Universal Credit and living in supported exempt accommodation any help with housing costs will be covered by Housing Benefit, not Universal Credit. The calculator will identify this and show your Universal Credit and Housing Benefit results.