Renters to get greater protection in Manchester

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham has set out a new charter for renters in the city-region to empower and protect them and ensure that the homes they’re living in are of a decent standard.

The new, first-of-kind Good Landlord Charter will be in place by autumn 2024. It aims to build on the forthcoming Renter’s Reform Bill by ensuring that all rented homes are brought up to the government’s ‘decent homes standard’ – a standard currently only applicable to socially rented homes and not the private sector.

The charter will give local councils the power to intervene and acquire properties from landlords whose properties are not maintained to a decent standard and will empower tenants to request checks.

Andy Burnham is encouraging the region’s landlords to support his vision. He said: “Our national mission should be to give all people a good, secure home. It is a simple fact that you cannot achieve anything else in life without the foundation beneath you. You cannot level up any part of the UK when half of its housing stock is falling down and damaging the health of people who live inside.

“In simple terms, that means a home that doesn’t damage your physical health through damp, mould and other physical hazards and doesn’t harm your mental health because you live in fear of eviction.

“To achieve this, we are proposing a complete re-wiring of the system to put power in the hands of tenants – but, in doing so, make it work better for everyone: tenants, landlords and local communities.”

The charter includes:

• An independent ‘GM Property Check’ inspection regime of rented properties to find those homes below standards, which would empower tenants to report poor conditions and call for improvement while protecting them from eviction.
• A ‘Property Improvement Plan’ for every rented home, giving landlords a tailored blueprint to get each of their properties up to the decent homes standard and beyond, and connecting them to funding and skilled contractors who can get the work done.
• Giving the city-region the powers to acquire properties from landlords who are unable and unwilling to meet standards, ensuring poor landlords exit the sector while retaining and improving their properties for local residents.
• Enhanced enforcement teams within councils with the powers to protect tenants if they have problems with their landlord or home.
• A universal, mandatory Property Portal or register or landlords – a measure proposed within the Renters Reform Bill