The charter brings together landlords and renters with the intention of helping to develop best practice, boost tenant confidence in the quality of rental properties, and set a new voluntary standard for ‘landlord excellence’.
The charter sets out its vision for the characteristics of better renting, which includes:
- Tenants should understand how rent and other charges are set, and should not be ripped off
- Tenants should not have a worse renting experience because of who they are
- Tenants should be reasonably free to enjoy the property and make it their own, while landlords should respond satisfactorily to requests for repairs, correspondence and complaints
- Tenants should be able to live free from physical or psychological discomfort in their home
- Tenants should be helped to access extra support if they need it, while landlords should be competent or use a competent managing agent.
The Good Landlord Charter follows the model of the Good Employment Charter, launched in 2019 in the city.
Burnham called on all renters and landlords in Greater Manchester to engage with the 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 “laudable aims” of the charter were welcomed by Chris Norris, policy director of the National Residential Landlords Association. Norris emphasised that the “vast majority” of landlords across Greater Manchester provide decent housing and a good service to tenants, and argued that the charter needs to be backed by policies to make its aims 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,” he added.
