By Ethan Davies

"The message to bad landlords in our city-region is: The days of you renting out unfit and unsafe homes to our residents are coming to an end," Andy Burnham warned on Thursday (16 May). "We are coming after you."

His warning to dodgy landlords — who he says 'put the lives and health of our residents at risk' and 'drag down whole streets and communities' — was delivered in an unlikely location.

The junction of Claremont Road and Viscount Street, a stone's throw from the Curry Mile, was the site of declaration of war from the mayor, re-elected for a third term only a fortnight ago. Speaking to assembled media under the cover of lush green leaves, his plan is to attack the problem with three pilots — ahead of an all-out-offensive in the future.

But Mr Burnham has recognised his plan has risks. There have been rumblings from within the fire service — the public body expected to spearhead the first pilot — that staff don't have the required training to do the fire safety inspections it already carries out.

Those are claims rejected by GMFRS leadership, who said they 'firmly reject any suggestion that the inspections carried out do not meet the high standards required of this national guidance' when a whistleblower came forward in January.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham outlined plans to address 'bad landlords' on Thursday 16 May (Image - Nub News)

The project in question is the 'right to a home check' pilot, which will be launched 'later this year' 'in part of Salford' which has been made possible by £150,000 of government funding. The idea is that private renters will be able to request a free home check via an online portal, which will be picked up by a 'multidisciplinary team' — likely to include the fire service and council environmental health officers.

The inspectors will be assessing properties to see if they meet the Decent Homes Standard — which will be the law when the much-delayed Renters Reform Bill is passed — an act which will also ban 'no fault evictions'.

This pilot falls alongside a £300,000 investment 'to set up a new team of housing law experts' who will 'provide advocacy and support to renters and strengthen enforcement capacity' in order to 'intervene when people are at risk of harassment and illegal eviction'.

The package of measures is completed with a £150,000 pilot in Oldham to work out 'how the GMCA, central government and local councils can work together to claim back housing benefit from landlords letting out substandard homes'.

With a £600,000 stick in one hand, Burnham also has a carrot in the other: The GM Good Landlord Charter, which he says will 'finally be able to get the recognition they deserve'. It's a two-forked attack he hopes will 'tackle the housing crisis and get serious about housing standards'.

But it's a risky plan, by his admission.

Stockport town centre as seen from Middle / Lower Hillgate (Image - Alasdair Perry)

"There are risks, and that's why we're proceeding carefully with the pilot so we're not just running before we can walk," the mayor replied when asked by the LDRS if there was a risk the schemes could overburden the fire service.

"The fire service is already going in and out of people's homes doing fire safety checks and other checks the fire service do. What we are asking them is to operate that system in a more targeted way, linked to the people who have called first for those checks.

"It's a different way of working, but I am encouraged by the Chief Fire Officer's support for what we're doing. [Staff] will get the necessary training to do it."

To support these goals, the fire service said in its annual delivery plan that it wants to hire more inspectors. While Mr Burnham 'doesn't have a number' of new recruits, he is 'confident of the fire service's capability to contribute to this major drive on housing across the city-region'.

And although the mayor has delivered the stark warning to bad landlords, it is some way off before his tanks will be on their lawns.

Firstly, the aforementioned pilots need to be set-up, operate, end, and evaluated before a city-region-wide scheme can get off the ground. Additionally, the Renters Reform Bill needs to be passed — something housing secretary Michael Gove said he cannot guarantee will take place before the election later this year.

For now, then, the war on rogue landlords is one being played out with words and warnings. But one day, it could get a lot more serious.

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