Over £132m of taxpayers’ money for housing the most vulnerable people has been handed to providers who exploit the system. Huge sums in housing benefit for ‘exempt accommodation’ have been given to organisations since 2018 despite judgments and warnings from the Regulator of Social Housing. The figures cover 95 of over 300 local authorities. The true figure is far higher. Some bosses of non-profit organisations exploit regulation loopholes to steal money. Exempt accommodation is for women fleeing domestic violence, those with substance abuse and people leaving care, for which providers can claim higher rates of housing benefit and can also charge residents service fees on top of this. It is a booming industry that is beset by concerns raised by charities, police and government about the quality of support available to those in exempt accommodation, as well as cases of violence and sex work within properties.