The Manchester Evening News have run the following article:-
Landlords could be made to apply for a licence to tackle housing and anti-social behaviour issues in Gorton and Abbey Hey, Harpurhey, and Clayton and Openshaw.
Plans have been unveiled to extend a scheme that aims to crack down on ”rogue’ landlords and poor housing into three parts of north and east Manchester.
Selective Licensing means all private rental landlords in a particular area must apply to the city council for a licence for each property they let out.In order to get one, landlords have to pay a fee and meet certain standards on how the property is managed.Government rules say such schemes can be used in areas where there is low demand for houses, significant and persistent problems with anti-social behaviour, houses that are in a poor condition, people only renting houses for a short period of time, a lack of basic necessities and high levels of crime.
An identical scheme is already in place in Crumpsall and Moston in north Manchester, and Old Moat and Rusholme in the south of the city, which council chiefs believe helps “raise standards in the management of privately rented properties and improve the quality of houses.”In the four areas already covered, 403 homes have seen follow-up inspections, 282 properties have seen improvement works carried out as a result. Landlords of 15 properties have also been issued with fines for both failing to apply for a licence, breach of licence conditions and failure to comply with Improvement notices, with fines totalling £72,599, the town hall said.
Plans have now been announced to extend it to three new areas – Gorton and Abbey Hey, which has around 800 private rented properties, Harpurhey which has around 430, and Clayton and Openshaw, which has around 100.
A previous public consultation was held on the plans in January, however lockdown and Covid regulations meant responses were limited. The council say they want to hear from more members of the community, property owners and management agents in order to make an “informed decision” about the plans.
Coun Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and employment, said: “Selective Licensing has had a real impact in the communities where schemes are already up and running. All of our residents deserve a safe, secure, and decent home to live in and it’s programmes such as Selective Licensing that help us make sure the private rented sector provides quality homes for residents – and are managed correctly by landlords.
“But we need input from local people, landlords, and management agents to understand whether or not our proposals are right for the local community.
For this, we need your help, and I would urge as many people as possible to take part in this consultation.“We will also be looking to expand landlord licensing to other parts of the city in the future – again, following consultation with local people – as part of our commitment to tackle rogue landlords and improve standards in the private rented sector.”
A number of drop-in consultation events are being held in the affected areas, you can find out more details on when and where they are here.
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