Landlord licensing extends to 1,900 more properties across Manchester

Selective Licensing is one way that cities can drive up standards in privately rented properties – a key priority for Manchester City Council.

Since 2017, more than 3,500 homes across the city have been fully licensed making sure that those homes are safer and better managed for the tenants living in the properties.

Now, from this week (week commencing 24 Feburary) the owners and managing agents of 1,863 more flats and houses will be required to be apply for a landlord licence that will make sure these homes meet the necessary safety requirements, have the correct gas and electrical safety certification, and that they can demonstrate good management standards.

Currently, private sector homes have fewer regulations protecting residents and Selective Licensing provides Councils to require landlords of all private rented properties to obtain a license in a particular area and is intended to address the impact of poor-quality housing.

Following public consultation, licensing can be introduced if an area is experiencing significant and persistent problems caused by antisocial behaviour (including environmental and waste management issues), poor property conditions, high levels of migration, high levels of deprivation, high levels of crime, low housing demand – or is likely to become such an area.

For the latest designated licensing areas, the Council has specifically targeted homes on the basis of property condition and antisocial behaviour linked to waste management problems.

The new licensing schemes across six Manchester wards, include:

Cheetham: Flats above shops and Esmond / Avondale – 405 PRS properties
Crumpsall: Enver Road – 147 PRS properties
Harpurhey: Whiteway Street – 116 PRS properties
Longsight: Heathcote / Sanby Road and Northmoor Road – 679 PRS properties
Miles Platting & Newton Heath: Droylsden Road and Scotland Street – 373 PRS Properties
Moss Side: Viscount Street and Heald Grove – 143 PRS properties

Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said:

“We know that there are currently fewer regulations and therefore less protection against poor housing in the private sector than other forms of rental homes – such as social rent properties. This means that there a minority of landlords who we have found do not take the responsibility for their property, the safety of their tenants, nor the impact of their property on the wider community seriously enough.

“This is by no means every landlord and most work hard to make sure the properties they let are safe and of a good standard. But Selective Licensing is one of the ways we can hold landlords that don’t to account and drive up standards for our residents.

“We believe that everyone in Manchester deserves a safe and secure home. This is a basic right and through Selective Licensing we can work directly with landlords and their tenants to make sure this is their reality.

“And we are seeing the impact of our interventions, and more than 3,550 homes have already been licensed, removing 1,700 hazards from Manchester’s private sector homes that would otherwise still be a blight on tenants in the city.”

Impact of previous licensing schemes

3550 properties have been fully licensed since 2017 ensuring that these properties are safe for residents and managed on behalf of tenants.
1007 compliance inspections have now been carried out that have identified more than 1,700 hazards that required addressing by the property owner.
238 found to be fully compliant under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and with the selective licensing conditions.
638 were identified as broadly compliant where there were less serious hazards identified on the inspection. Landlords were notified of the hazards and remediation work was suggested
117 properties were non-compliant and where owners received legal notices or were fined

Enforcement Action on non-compliant landlords

Enforcement action has been undertaken where necessary to target landlords who have failed to comply with the licensing scheme and notices to improve property conditions.

So far, these include:

22 Civil Penalty Notices totaling fines of more than £107,500 have been handed out to landlords and property owners that have failed to comply with the terms of Selective Licensing

More than 250 legal notices have been actioned urging landlords to make safety and other improvements within licensed properties.
14 prohibition orders and 3 suspended prohibition (orders that could close a property if standards don’t improve) have been issued – in the most part relating to overcrowding.