Ambitious Good Landlord Charter plans set out in GM to drive up housing standards

A pioneering new initiative to drive up housing standards, recognise good practice, and support tenants is now underway in Greater Manchester.

The Good Landlord Charter will reaffirm Greater Manchester’s commitment to deliver safe, decent, and affordable housing for all residents, and acknowledge that housing is fundamental to people’s health and wellbeing.

The Charter will cover both social housing and private rented sector housing, and the aim is to define a set of clear, practical, and accessible standards that will drive up the quality of renting in Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester Housing Providers has been working for more than a year on standards and regulation for social housing providers in the city-region, and this work – alongside national standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing – will provide a firm foundation for Greater Manchester’s own scheme.

These include working with the GMCA and local authorities to:

• Ensure that social housing providers uphold the regulatory standards as they are now, including the new tenant satisfaction measures from 2023
• Work collectively on influencing new national standards, such as those set out in the Social Housing Regulation Bill and the Better Social Housing review
• Regularly and clearly communicate regulatory standards for social housing residents
• Learn from and act on the lessons from the Awaab Ishak tragedy and share existing good practice
• Review how each social housing provider reports, records, and remedies disrepair claims

The Charter will be co-produced with stakeholders across the housing sector, and input will be sought from partners including registered housing providers, private landlords, local authorities, and tenants’ groups.

Currently, social housing providers are subject to a national set of regulatory standards, covering economic and consumer responsibilities, while a different set of standards applies to the private rented sector.

The aim is to give both sectors a clear route map to raising standards in all rented homes.

As with the Good Employment Charter, landlords and housing providers will receive recognition for upholding the standards and principles set out in the Good Landlord Charter.

Development of the Charter will be informed by research commissioned to gauge the views of tenants and landlords about the issues that matter to them.

That development process is set to conclude later this year, following a public consultation on a draft Charter, with the aim to have the Charter in place by the end of 2023.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Bringing forward a Good Landlord Charter was a commitment I made back in 2021, and right now the case for raising standards, tightening regulations, and empowering tenants has never been stronger. Once again, Greater Manchester is leading the way and making a decisive move towards a new approach – one that we hope will join the dots between housing, health, wellbeing, and everything in between.

“From the way he led the Government response to the appalling death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale, I know that the Secretary of State understands the importance of this, and why we need better housing, stronger enforcement, and greater accountability across the board. So do many partners across our city-region’s social and private rented sector – which is why we want to work with them to create a Charter that is as fair and robust as possible, and establishes a clear set of expectations for landlords and tenants.

“Our devolution journey has already enabled us to make a difference to people’s lives by integrating public services and aligning priorities right across the system. Our ongoing trailblazer talks now present an opportunity for us to work with Government and go even further, with greater powers and responsibility at local level, and housing is a key priority for us in this process.”