At #TeamCES, we work with landlords on a daily basis.

In our experience, they are decent people who are just as interested in providing a quality service, as they are in seeing a return on their investment.

(There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see a return on your investment either, by the way!)

As in all walks of life though, there are always going to be exceptions or ‘bad apples’ that ruin it for everyone else, and now the industry is starting to take action to safeguard people against these rogue landlords.

Locally speaking, in Trafford, landlords who fail to maintain their properties will now face new, tougher penalties. As part of the Greater Manchester Good Landlord Scheme, Trafford Council has pledged to ‘crack down’ on landlords who don’t live up to their end of the bargain.

This is being funded with £1.5 million from the Housing Investment Loans Fund, with the overall aim being to improve housing standards across the private rental market, something which we think is long overdue.

It’s all about improving access to advice and support for all stakeholders in the rental sector, and so it should prove beneficial for landlords and tenants alike.

New roles will be created, where trainees will support tenants who may be struggling with damp, cold, insecure or structurally unsound homes. This will involve gathering evidence over time, and, where necessary, legal action being taken against landlords who are repeat offenders.

The Good Landlord Scheme is all part of the wider response across Greater Manchester, to the ongoing pressures on housing enforcement capacity. It is also in response to the significant increase in the number of people living in private rental accommodation.

This is a good move by Greater Manchester, and we hope the Good Landlord Scheme will start to weed out the bad landlords for good.