Landlords fined nearly £1.5m as more than 100 sign up for Andy Burnham's charter

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Nearly £1.5m in fines have been issued to poor landlords over the last two years as part of a crackdown in Greater Manchester.
Since March 2023, 113 civil penalties were handed out as part of a two-year trial. That has helped pay for extra enforcement officers at councils across the region.
The number of fines issued against landlords has increased by 42.9 per cent in that period. It comes as more than half of all rented homes in Greater Manchester are now covered by Andy Burnham's Good Landlord Charter.
The scheme, which recognises landlords who meet set standards, was been mooted by the Greater Manchester mayor for years.
Since applications opened in April this year, more than 100 landlords have come forward to become Supporters of the Charter.
These landlords, which include those with social housing as well as the private sector, account for more than 234,000 properties.
Mr Burnham hopes that will drive up standards with a 'twin-track' approach that recognises good landlords and punishes bad ones.
He said: "Today we are entering a new era for renting in Greater Manchester. We're making it clear that renting out sub-standard properties, which damage the health of our residents, will no longer be tolerated.
"This city-region is getting serious about driving up housing standards and delivering on the promise of a good home for everyone.
"We know there are many good landlords out there and the Charter will give them the recognition they deserve. It will also help isolate those who require further attention from our enforcement teams.
"The £1.47m of civil penalties our local authorities have issued in the last two years show we're holding the most negligent landlords to account.
"Together, we're leading the way in how to build a fairer, stronger housing system and blazing a trail for the rest of the country to follow."
In 2023, Greater Manchester was selected by the government for a scheme which aimed to increase the use of civil penalties against landlords who have broken housing regulation which helped fund additional 26 housing enforcement officers across the region.
The scheme was deemed a success, particularly in places which had previously used civil penalties which were introduced in 2016.
For example, in Wigan, which previously had no policy on using these civil penalties, 20 have been issued in the last 12 months.
The Pathfinder project contributed to a 42.9 per cent increase in the use of these penalties across Greater Manchester with fines totalling £1.47m over two years which will now be reinvested into local housing enforcement teams so they can continue this work.
At the same time, the Good Landlord Charter sets out 21 criteria that landlords must meet to be recognised on a dedicated website.
Mr Burnham will be setting out more details about the charter at the Housing 2025 conference in Manchester on Thursday (June 26).