BBC Panorama and exempt accommodation: how good landlords show they are compliant

The short answer

BBC Panorama's "The Big Housing Ripoff", shown on 19 October 2026, looks at supported exempt accommodation in Birmingham: housing that can claim higher housing benefit because residents are meant to get care and support. The programme reports providers taking that money without giving the support, and adverts for "ghost tenants" who don't live at the property.

This is a specialist corner of housing, not ordinary private renting. But stories like this raise scrutiny for everyone. Councils in England already have a duty to enforce landlord rules under the Renters' Rights Act, and the government has just opened a consultation on licensing supported housing. The good news for responsible landlords is that being compliant is mostly about dates and records you can show. This guide explains what the programme found, what is changing, and the paper trail worth keeping.

Key facts

• The Department for Work and Pensions paid £410 million for supported exempt accommodation in Birmingham in the last financial year, for more than 34,000 residents. AOL / Express

• Exempt accommodation is not limited by Local Housing Allowance caps, so providers can charge higher rents, which housing benefit covers. AOL / Express

• Panorama reports providers advertising online for "ghost tenants", and one provider, Windrush Alliance, writing off £1.8 million paid to former directors and companies under their control. Birmingham Dispatch

• On 15 October 2026 the government opened an 8-week consultation on draft rules to license supported housing in England, with civil penalties of up to £40,000. GOV.UK

• Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, councils in England now have a duty, not just a power, to enforce landlord legislation, with fines of up to £40,000 for serious or repeated breaches. Shelter Legal

What is exempt accommodation?

Supported exempt accommodation (often called SEA) is housing for people who need extra help, such as people leaving prison, recovering from addiction or escaping domestic abuse. Because residents are meant to receive care, support or supervision, the rent can be higher than normal housing benefit limits allow.

The problem the programme describes is simple: some providers take the higher rent and don't provide the support. Some residents are left in poor conditions, and some claims are made for people who don't live there at all.

If you let a home to a tenant who receives Universal Credit or housing benefit, that is not exempt accommodation. Ordinary lets, including lets to tenants on benefits, are covered by the normal private renting rules, not the supported housing regime.

What is changing

For supported housing. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets councils license supported housing. The draft regulations now out for consultation would require anyone who controls or manages supported housing to hold a licence, pass a fit and proper person test and meet national standards. The consultation runs for 8 weeks from 15 October 2026, and the licensing itself is unlikely to start before 2027.

For every private landlord in England. The Renters' Rights Act made enforcement a duty for councils, gave them stronger powers to investigate, and raised the fines. The landlord database will also make it easier for councils and tenants to see who lets what.

None of this should worry a landlord who keeps on top of the basics. It does mean you are more likely to be asked to show your records, and "I did it, I just can't find the certificate" is a weak answer.

The good-landlord paper trail

These are the main legal checks for a typical let in England. For each one, keep the document and the date.

• Gas safety record: a Gas Safe engineer checks every gas appliance every 12 months. Give the tenant a copy within 28 days of the check, and before they move in.

• Electrical safety (EICR): a qualified electrician inspects the wiring at least every 5 years. Give the tenant a copy within 28 days.

• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): needed before you market the property, and a rating of E or above is needed to let it. An EPC lasts 10 years.

• Deposit protection: protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and give the tenant the prescribed information.

• Right to Rent: check every adult's right to rent before the tenancy starts, and keep a copy. Our Right to Rent guide explains how.

• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: a smoke alarm on every storey, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers). Test them on the first day of each tenancy.

• Licences: if the property is an HMO or in a selective licensing area, check the licence is in place and in date. See what happens if you rent out an unlicensed HMO.

Repairs: log the repair, not just the fix

Most disputes are not about whether a repair was done, but when. Keep a simple record for each problem:

• Reported: the date the tenant told you, and how

• Action: when you booked a contractor or visited

• Fixed: the date it was finished, with photos

• Messages: what you told the tenant along the way

This matters even more with Awaab's Law. The government plans to apply repair deadlines for damp, mould and other serious hazards to private renting, and your dates will be your evidence that you met them.

A 15-minute compliance check for this week

1. List every expiry date. Gas safety, EICR, EPC, licences and insurance, property by property.

2. Look for gaps. Anything missing, out of date or due in the next 2 months?

3. Check each deposit. Scheme, reference and the date it was protected.

4. Find your Right to Rent copies. One for every adult tenant.

5. Start one repairs log. Even if it's only the jobs from the last few months.

How AskPortfoliq helps

AskPortfoliq keeps your compliance dates, certificates, deposits and repairs in one place, and reminds you before anything expires.

You can ask on WhatsApp, Telegram or the web assistant, for example "Anything due in the next month?". It lists what is due, what is overdue and anything not recorded yet, across your whole portfolio. Send a photo of a new certificate and it reads the dates and files it against the right property, after you confirm. Repairs keep a dated timeline from the first report to the fix, and deposits keep their scheme, reference and protection date.

If the council, a tribunal or a tenant asks, the answer is already on record.

To check your properties against the main safety rules, start with the free landlord resources.