Agenda item

Agenda item

Notice of Motion - Strengthening Licensing in the Private Rented Sector

This Council believes that everyone has the right to a safe and secure home. After two years of lockdowns and Covid restrictions, it is more important than ever that people are able to access appropriate housing, to enjoy being in their homes and that our communities are not blighted by the impact of rogue landlords.

 

Under the current housing crisis caused by 12 years of Conservative and Liberal Democrat cuts, Manchester residents are having to become more reliant on private rented landlords to meet their housing needs.

 

The latest estimates from Council Tax suggest that 38% of Manchester households live in the private rented sector, which equates to around 90,000 homes.

 

Unfortunately, thousands of renters across the city continue to live in unsafe or substandard accommodation. In addition to this, many welfare recipients are illegally discriminated against when trying to secure accommodation in the private rented sector and often have limited means to challenge this discrimination. It is clear that greater action is needed to tackle rogue landlords and agents who do not manage their properties properly.

 

Under Labour leadership, the Council has made great efforts to ensure that Mancunians have access to good quality and affordable housing.

 

In Manchester, we have programmes of both HMO mandatory licensing across the city and targeted selective licensing in North, East and Central Manchester. Both programmes give us the opportunity and scope to take action against landlords to deliver the safe and secure housing that our residents deserve.

 

The Council also welcomes commitments by the Greater Manchester Mayor to introduce a Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter to drive up standards in the private rented sector.

 

This Council notes that:

 

·                Strengthening the landlord licensing scheme would benefit all our mixed residential communities across the city, not just those living in private rented housing.

·                The Conservative Government since 2010 have taken little action to regulate private landlords and improve conditions for private rented tenants.

·                The landlord licensing scheme has so far had a positive impact and has led to landlord prosecutions and over £1.05 million in fines being served on landlords in recent years.

 

This Council resolves:

 

·                To broaden the scope of the licensing scheme by identifying further areas for inclusion and rolling out the scheme as quickly as possible, particularly in areas of greater deprivation.

·                To include anti-discrimination clauses in all future licensing requirements which would prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants on the basis of a protected characteristic or those in receipt of benefits.

·                To review the license requirement for refuse checks and strengthen this if it is found that it could be more effective. Particularly this review should consider the prevention of waste issues including bins being left on public footpaths and landlords and agents properly dealing with waste issues in front gardens.

·                To ensure that council officers are making use of all legal and enforcement powers that are at our disposal to take the strongest and swiftest action against landlords who are in breach of their license.

·                To investigate the inclusion of a clause which would prevent landlords from leaving properties empty for an unreasonable period of time.

·                To call on the Conservative Government to give local authorities further and stronger legal enforcement powers to tackle poor private landlords to help improve the living standards and conditions for local residents in our city.

 

Proposed by Councillor Chambers, seconded by Councillor Stanton and also signed (via email) by Councillors Hilal, White and Wills.

Minutes:

This Council believes that everyone has the right to a safe and secure home. After two years of lockdowns and Covid restrictions, it is more important than ever that people are able to access appropriate housing, to enjoy being in their homes and

that our communities are not blighted by the impact of rogue landlords. Under the current housing crisis caused by 12 years of Conservative and Liberal Democrat cuts, Manchester residents are having to become more reliant on private rented landlords to meet their housing needs.

 

The latest estimates from Council Tax suggest that 38% of Manchester households live in the private rented sector, which equates to around 90,000 homes.

 

Unfortunately, thousands of renters across the city continue to live in unsafe or substandard accommodation. In addition to this, many welfare recipients are illegally discriminated against when trying to secure accommodation in the private rented sector and often have limited means to challenge this discrimination. It is clear that greater action is needed to tackle rogue landlords and agents who do not manage their properties properly.

 

Under Labour leadership, the Council has made great efforts to ensure that Mancunians have access to good quality and affordable housing.

 

In Manchester, we have programmes of both HMO mandatory licensing across the city and targeted selective licensing in North, East and Central Manchester. Both programmes give us the opportunity and scope to take action against landlords to deliver the safe and secure housing that our residents deserve.

 

The Council also welcomes commitments by the Greater Manchester Mayor to introduce a Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter to drive up standards in the private rented sector.

 

This Council notes that:

  • Strengthening the landlord licensing scheme would benefit all our mixed residential communities across the city, not just those living in private rented housing.
  • The Conservative Government since 2010 have taken little action to regulate private landlords and improve conditions for private rented tenants.
  • The landlord licensing scheme has so far had a positive impact and has led to landlord prosecutions and over £1.05 million in fines being served on landlords in recent years.

 

This Council resolves:

  • To broaden the scope of the licensing scheme by identifying further areas for inclusion and rolling out the scheme as quickly as possible, particularly in areas of greater deprivation.
  • To include anti-discrimination clauses in all future licensing requirements which would prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants on the basis of a protected characteristic or those in receipt of benefits.
  • To review the license requirement for refuse checks and strengthen this if it is found that it could be more effective. Particularly this review should consider the prevention of Council waste issues including bins being left on public footpaths and landlords and agents properly dealing with waste issues in front gardens.
  • To ensure that council officers are making use of all legal and enforcement powers that are at our disposal to take the strongest and swiftest action against landlords who are in breach of their license.
  • To investigate the inclusion of a clause which would prevent landlords from leaving properties empty for an unreasonable period of time.
  • To call on the Conservative Government to give local authorities further and stronger legal enforcement powers to tackle poor private landlords to help improve the living standards and conditions for local residents in our city.

 

Motion proposed and seconded:

 

Resolution

 

The motion was put to Council and voted on and the Lord Mayor declared that it was carried unanimously.

 

Decision

 

  • To broaden the scope of the licensing scheme by identifying further areas for inclusion and rolling out the scheme as quickly as possible, particularly in areas of greater deprivation.
  • To include anti-discrimination clauses in all future licensing requirements which would prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants on the basis of a protected characteristic or those in receipt of benefits.
  • To review the license requirement for refuse checks and strengthen this if it is found that it could be more effective. Particularly this review should consider the prevention of Council waste issues including bins being left on public footpaths and landlords and agents properly dealing with waste issues in front gardens.
  • To ensure that council officers are making use of all legal and enforcement powers that are at our disposal to take the strongest and swiftest action against landlords who are in breach of their license.
  • To investigate the inclusion of a clause which would prevent landlords from leaving properties empty for an unreasonable period of time.
  • To call on the Conservative Government to give local authorities further and stronger legal enforcement powers to tackle poor private landlords to help improve the living standards and conditions for local residents in our city.