Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has unveiled a new charter that aims to bring landlords and renters together to improve the level of homes in both the social and private housing sectors.
The charter, which is now out for consultation, is hoping to identify best practices across housing, with the end goal being to increase tenant confidence in their properties, as well as improving the standard of housing, regardless of whether a resident is in social housing or is renting privately.
Following a similar plan to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, the housing charter is looking to ‘set out a vision of better renting’ by meeting seven key characteristics. These are:
- Affordable – Tenants should know how their rent and other charges are set and shouldn’t be getting ripped off.
- Inclusive – Tenants shouldn’t go through worse experiences renting because of who they are.
- Private and secure – Tenants should be able to enjoy their home and make it their own.
- Responsive – Requests for repairs, correspondence and complaints should be responded to satisfactorily.
- Safe and decent -Tenants should have the ability to live away from physical or psychological discomfort in their home.
- Supportive – Essential information about renting their home, as well as additional support if needed, should be accessible for tenants.
- Well managed – Landlords should be competent or use competent managing agents.
Burnham commented on the charter, saying:
“I’m clear that driving up the quality of rented housing is one of my key priorities. We know your home has a huge impact on so many aspects of life, from your physical and mental health to your safety and security.
“This work has, in part, been driving up the devastating conclusions of the inquest that followed Awaab Ishak’s death. A two-year-old boy died because of the quality of his home, and we recognised this had to be the moment when things changed.
“Today, I’m calling on all renters and landlords in Greater Manchester to get involved in this consultation. I believe this charter will be good for tenants who currently have no way of knowing whether a landlord is decent or not; and good for the many landlords doing the right thing and struggling to differentiate themselves from the disreputable end of the market.
“The truth is, when we get housing right, we also potentially save billions in public money currently spent dealing with the social crises that come from poor housing situations.”
The development process for the charter saw research conducted that discovered that more than three-quarters of residents believe that accreditation would help reduce the likelihood of renting from particular landlords. This figure was matched by the number of tenants who experienced a maintenance issue in their property – two in five of the tenants who have experienced maintenance problems have been left dissatisfied with the outcome.
Chair of Greater Manchester Housing Providers, Charlie Norman, added:
“The Greater Manchester Housing Providers partnership has been privileged to work alongside tenants and partners within the Coordinating Group to develop the GM Good Landlord Charter – this consultation is so important to see if what has been drafted so far feels right. At the heart of what we do as social housing providers is the belief that everyone in Greater Manchester has the right to a decent, healthy, safe, and affordable home – places where we can grow up, get on in life and age well. Having a home is just so important to all of us.
“Between us, our members own or manage over 250,000 affordable homes in the city region, we build one-third of all new homes, and we have a shared commitment to ensuring that everyone can expect respectful, inclusive, and fair services. As a partnership of the willing, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to work with the mayor, wider stakeholders and, most importantly, tenants and residents across Greater Manchester to help further develop this charter- the first of its kind in the UK, and hopefully something that will make a positive and lasting impact for all tenants, residents, and landlords across the region.”
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