Manchester’s Selective landlord licensing continues to expansion cont

700 more private sector homes across Manchester will require a landlord licence as Selective Licensing expands to five new schemes across four neighbourhoods.

The four new Selective Licensing areas that are now designated are:

• Levenshulme: Matthews Lane – 170 PRS properties
• Longsight: The Royals – 74 PRS properties
• Moss Side & Whalley Range: Claremont Road / Great Western Street / Bowes Street – 346 PRS properties
• Rusholme: Birch Lane – 70 PRS properties

• Rusholme: Off Laindon Road and Dickenson Road – 38 PRS properties

All residents in properties that now require a licence will receive a letter explaining that licensing is now in operation and that their landlord will be required to apply.

Landlords will be contacted by the Council and are encouraged to apply for a licence as the earliest opportunity with an early bird discount being offered to all applications through until 8 August.

1887 properties have been fully licensed since 2017 ensuring that these properties are safe for residents and managed on behalf of tenants.

677 compliance inspections have now been carried out  with 170 found to be fully compliant with the selective licensing conditions.

425 were identified as broadly compliant where there were less serious hazards identified on the inspection where landlords were notified of the hazards and remediation work was suggested  and 82 properties were non-compliant with legal notices or fined

Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City 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.

“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.

“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.”