Manchester’s selective landlord licensing scheme expands

Manchester City Council has announced that its selective landlord licensing scheme has expanded this week to cover 700 more rented homes.

There are five new licensing schemes in four neighbourhoods and landlords will now need to be licensed.

The council says that selective licensing will ‘address the impact of poor-quality homes and management standards’.

Selective licensing fee for Manchester

Until 8 August, the ‘early bird’ fee is £591, and after that date, the selective licensing fee for Manchester will be £798.

Coun Gavin White, the council’s executive member for housing and employment, said: “In Manchester, around 90,000 of our homes are private rented sector properties – 38% of the whole city’s housing supply – which means a large number of our residents rely on this type of housing.

“We have made a commitment through our ambitious housing strategy to ensure private sector housing is safe, secure and decent for our residents.”

‘Housing compliance teams work hard to support residents’

Mr White continued: “Our housing compliance teams work hard to support residents and tackle housing issues, but we know that without intervention, we don’t tend to see long-term significant improvements.

“This is where selective licensing is proving impactful, and our residents are seeing tangible improvements in their homes.”

He added: “Of course, we know that the majority of landlords take their responsibilities seriously and work hard to provide a safe and well-managed property.

“But it is important that we work to tackle those landlords who seem willing to put their tenants’ safety at risk.”