Changes to local connection rules concerning access to social housing have come into effect today.

The government says the changes will mean that more young people leaving care and domestic abuse survivors will be now have greater access to social properties.

The move has been largely welcomed by charities across the sector, including Become and Centrepoint.

Government guidance for councils across England, nearly 90% of which currently use local connection tests, sets out their obligations to prioritise vulnerable people applying for social housing. This has now been updated to confirm that young care leavers and domestic abuse survivors must be exempt from any local connection tests.

Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “I’m immensely proud this government is delivering real change for some of our most vulnerable in society, making sure more young people and families can have a safe and secure roof over their head.

“It’s only right we remove local connection tests for these groups and from today they will no longer face such barriers – it’s a promise we made and a promise we’ve kept.

“This builds on our Plan for Change to deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, turning the tide on the crisis we’ve inherited and building hundreds of thousands of new homes to bring down housing waiting lists for good.”

Today’s changes follow last year’s overhaul to remove local connection tests for all former UK regular armed forces veterans, regardless of when they last served.

Centrepoint’s Director of Policy and Prevention, Balbir Kaur Chatrik said: “It wasn’t right that young care leavers were subjected to local connection tests – particularly at a point in their lives where they should be able to move on and thrive.

“Removing this barrier is a huge step in protecting some of the country’s most vulnerable young people and should help in reducing youth homelessness more broadly.”

A care-experienced young person, Tia Shillito-Radicic said: “The passing of this new legislation is nothing short of life-changing for many care-experienced young people and especially for me.

“This legislation gives me the opportunity to live somewhere safer, closer to my support network, and within reach of my career in the Civil Service. It’s not just about having a roof over my head – it’s about having a foundation to build a future. It’s about independence, security, and dignity.

“Too often, young people in care are uprooted from their communities and placed far from home due to foster care shortages or safeguarding concerns. When we age out of care, we’re then expected to return to the original council that placed us – sometimes hundreds of miles from where we’ve built our lives. That system leaves many of us isolated, detached from the people and places we trust most.

“This legislation changes that. And with it, comes hope. Hope that young people won’t have to start over, again and again. Hope that we can remain close to the support systems we’ve fought to create. And hope that we’ll finally be seen not just as care leavers, but as individuals with dreams, careers, and futures.

“To everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen: thank you. You haven’t just changed a policy – you’ve helped us hold onto something many of us lose far too often: a sense of home, of belonging, and of hope.”