Manchester City Council has successfully bid for funding to create a team of enforcement officers that will target rogue landlords letting flats above commercial spaces and help improve standards.
Announced today, the successful £60,000 bid, provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), will help create a small proactive team working for three months with a particular focus on private lets above shops in deprived areas.
Manchester has more than 9,000 flats above commercial premises and, although many will be in good condition, pilot schemes have identified problems in some areas exacerbated by subletting and substandard accommodation provided as part of employment.
Starting this month, the dedicated team will carry out systematic inspections at flats above shops, targeting properties of known rogue landlords that have been identified through previous and on-going compliance and enforcement work.
The city council is already working with the Home Office and the HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) to improve immigration law and tax compliance by portfolio landlords and the new team will continue this partnership working.
The team will also support wider environmental objectives by helping to tackle associated neighbourhood issues, such as waste storage and disposal.
Cllr Bernard Priest, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Private rented properties represent the fastest growing sector in the city and so any extra resources to help improve housing conditions for residents are welcome.
“Flats above commercial properties pose their own problems and having a dedicated team focussed on the worst offenders, working in Manchester’s most deprived areas, is vital to improve standards and support those tenants.
“Private rented properties will prove a vital commodity in the years to come and the importance of quality in the sector, which in turn breeds safer, healthier and more stable communities, cannot be underestimated.”
