Round up of housing law and news: September 2026
Legislation
Intentional homelessness for care leavers, right to rent checks and housing benefit earnings disregards.
Care leaver intentional homelessness
From 30 September 2026, certain care leavers cannot be found intentionally homeless. The legislation applies to a person if they are:
a relevant child – a young person aged 16 or 17 who has already left care, and was an eligible child before leaving care
a former relevant child who is aged under 25
Read section 9 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 at legislation.gov.uk.
Read the updated Homelessness Code of Guidance at GOV.UK.
Read more about care leave intentional homelessness on Shelter Legal.
Changes to right to rent checks
From 1 October 2026, landlords conducting right to rent checks using a digital verification service provider must use a registered provider. The registered provider can be used to check British and Irish passports, digital documents from the prescribed list, and to confirm the occupier's identity with facial recognition technology.
Read The Immigration (Restrictions on Employment and Residential Accommodation) (Prescribed Requirements and Codes of Practice) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 at legislation.gov.uk.
Read more about right to rent checks on Shelter Legal.
Housing benefit earned income disregards
From 5 October 2026, new regulations will increase housing benefit earnings disregards. Claimants in supported housing and temporary accommodation will no longer face a loss of income when increasing their working hours.
Read The Housing Benefit (Earned Income Disregards) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 at legislation.gov.uk.
Find out more about housing benefit calculation rates 2026 to 2027 on Shelter Legal.
Case law
Out of area asylum accommodation.
Location of asylum support accommodation
The High Court held that asylum support accommodation needs to only be adequate to prevent destitution while asylum claims are determined. In this case, an offer of accommodation away from Oxford was not unlawful, despite the disruption to the family's education and support.
News and guidance
Rollout of the private rented sector database, social tenant access to information, damp and mould in social housing and more.
Private rented sector database
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 includes provision for a private rented sector database, offering greater transparency and protection for renters. This database launches on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and is being rolled out region by region. All private landlords will need to be registered by 14 November 2027.
The government also announced that, in the future, challenges to rent increases will be transferred to HMRC's Valuations Office, to reduce pressure on the First-tier Tribunal.
Read the press release on the private rented sector database at GOV.UK.
Access to information for social tenants
Private registered providers of social housing must publish information about their housing management from 1 October 2026, in line with the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs). The information that must be publicly available includes spending, performance, housing stock management, governance and decision making.
Read the policy statement on Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements at GOV.UK.
Guidance on damp and mould in social housing
The Chartered Institute of Housing published updated guidance on tackling damp and mould in social housing. The guidance summarises recent legal and regulatory changes and what these mean for social landlords. It also provides good practice principles for supporting residents, identifying vulnerabilities and building trust.
Read the guidance on tackling damp and mould in social housing at the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Out of area temporary accommodation
The anti-poverty charity Z2K published a report on the human cost of out of area temporary accommodation. The report focuses on Westminster City Council, which places more homeless households outside of its area than any other local authority in England.
People reported the issues they faced in out of area temporary accommodation, such as:
being moved with as little as 24 hours' notice
long and expensive commutes to maintain employment or education
disrupted healthcare such as having to join new waiting lists for specialist services
Read the research into out of area temporary accommodation from Z2K.
Regulation of bailiffs
The government announced new regulations that will make it mandatory for private bailiffs to be accredited with the Enforcement Conduct Board, or work for an enforcement firm that is accredited. People facing enforcement action will also have access to an independent complaints process.
Read the press release on protecting people from rogue bailiffs at GOV.UK.
Council tax enforcement
Research from the Money Advice Trust found that almost half of local authorities increased their use of bailiffs to collect council tax arrears in 2025/26. Only 26 councils exempt residents receiving council tax support from bailiff action, a reduction from 35 councils last year.
The charity is calling on the government to outline statutory steps councils must take before passing debts to bailiffs.
Read the press release on council tax enforcement from the Money Advice Trust.
Data and trends
Rough sleeping statistics, council spending on housing services, minimum income standard for private renters and more.
Latest rough sleeping statistics
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released the latest rough sleeping statistics for April to June 2026. The number of people sleeping rough was at a record high for this time of year. Key findings include:
an estimated 8,478 people were sleeping rough in June 2026, an increase of 0.2% compared to June 2025
37% of rough sleepers were sleeping rough long term, meaning for three or more months out of the last year
8% of people sleeping rough had left an institution such as prison or asylum support
Read the rough sleeping data framework at GOV.UK.
Local authority spending on housing services
Recent government statistics show that local authority spending on housing services increased by over six percent in the last year. This spending covers services such as support for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and provision of temporary accommodation. Key findings include:
overall spending on housing services was £3.5 billion, representing 2.5% of total local authority spending
spending on bed and breakfasts increased by 21.9%
spending on nightly paid, privately managed accommodation decreased by 20.6%
Read the local authority revenue expenditure in England 2025 to 2026 at GOV.UK.
Minimum income standard for private renters
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's minimum income standard (MIS) captures the UK public's perception of an acceptable standard of living. For the first time, in 2026 the MIS assumes accommodation in the private rented sector rather than social housing.
Compared to social housing, the additional income per year required to meet the MIS in private rented accommodation is:
£7,800 for a lone parent with two children
£5,000 for a single pensioner
£3,800 for a couple with two children
Read the minimum income standard report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Size of the private rented sector
Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that data does not support the commonly held belief that the private rented sector is shrinking. Key findings include:
4.7 million households were privately renting in 2024/25, the highest number on record
the number of homes available for private rent increased by around 45,000 per year on average between 2021 and 2025
homes for private rent are owned by a smaller number of larger landlords, with 8% of landlords owning 11 or more properties
Read the report on the size of the private rented sector from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
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