Rogue landlords charter must be backed up, NRLA warns

Landlords have welcomed a new ‘rogue’s charter’ in Manchester, but warned that it must be backed up with support for struggling landlords.

The city’s Mayor Andy Burnham launched his ‘Good Landlord Charter’ last week, saying it would target “untouchable” landlords who refuse to maintain their properties properly.

Burnham said the health of tenants was “put at risk” by landlords who fail to spend money on the upkeep of their rentals.

He told BBC Radio Manchester the city region would “not accept this whole culture of landlords sometimes taking money through the benefits system, public money, and then not putting a penny of that back into their properties”.

Make it happen

Now, the NRLA says it backs the initiative as long as it is followed up with policies to make it happen, and that it helps property owners with homes that are the hardest to maintain.

The vast majority of private landlords across Greater Manchester provide decent housing.”

Chris Norris, policy director at NRLA (main picture), says: “The vast majority of private landlords across Greater Manchester provide decent housing and a good service to their tenants.

“We therefore welcome the consultation’s commitment to ensuring those landlords meeting all their legal obligations are properly recognised.”

Root out rogues

He says the “laudable aims” of the charter must be backed up by policies make them a reality.

“That should include support for those landlords with the hardest to improve properties, improved enforcement to root out rogue and criminal landlords, and ensuring that content of the charter is consistent with forthcoming changes in the Renters (Reform) Bill.”

A consultation on the Mayor’s charter, which covers the PRS and social landlords, opened this week.