Private Renting
Up-to-date information and advice on private renting during the Covid-19 pandemic
Greater Manchester is working to drive up standards in the private rented sector and make a positive difference to the lives of tenants and landlords.
This work supports Greater Manchester's Housing Vision and the forthcoming housing strategy.
Across a range of price levels, the private rented sector (not to be confused with social renting) has grown substantially in Greater Manchester over the last fifteen years, and caters for a number of different types of housing need and demand, including:
- student living
- temporary accommodation to meet urgent housing need
- an alternative for those unable to access social housing
- mid-market family housing
- city-centre apartments
Rogue landlords
For many people in Greater Manchester, private renting is a perfect fit, but the negligence of a minority of private landlords are dragging communities down. We’re working to fix that.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has received £128k from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to crack down on rogue landlords in the area.
The funding will be used to establish a Rogue Landlord Hub, targeting landlords and letting agents who flout the law through bad management or by housing tenants within neglected and unsafe homes.
The rogue landlord hub will work to:
- improve information sharing and enable collaboration across Greater Manchester’s districts
- develop and share best practice and information to provide a more consistent approach across the city-region
- provide advanced training for frontline officers to help bring more illegal landlords to justice through the courts
- deliver communications campaigns targeted at both tenants and landlords.
The scheme will initially run for three months across all boroughs of Greater Manchester and the results will be used to shape future initiatives that will continue to crack down on rogue landlords.
For more information on the Rogue Landlord Hub:
'Greater Manchester cracking down on rogue landlords' - news story
'Housing Minister confirms funding for councils to crack down on rogue landlords' - news story
Fair Housing Futures
Fair Housing Futures want to ensure that tenants have access to decent, secure, and affordable homes. Over the next five years, The Fair Housing Futures Partnership Board and The Nationwide Foundation will invest £1.2 million in improving the experience of renting for vulnerable tenants in Greater Manchester, by striving to improve housing policy, practice, and options.
Fit for human habitation – new law
On 20 March 2019 the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 came into force to make sure that rented houses and flats are ‘fit for human habitation’, which means that they are safe, healthy and free from things that could cause serious harm.
If rented houses and flats are not ‘fit for human habitation’, tenants can take their landlords to court. The court can make the landlord carry out repairs or put right health and safety problems. The court can also make the landlord pay compensation to the tenant.
Shelter's website contains advice to check whether your home fit for habitation (link opens in a new window).
Guidance for tenants
Private renting guidance for tenants - Shelter (link opens in a new window)
Help for landlords
Guidance for landlords - gov.uk (link opens in a new window)
