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Housing disrepair help across Greater Manchester

Ten boroughs, two transferred-stock patterns, and the city where Awaab's Law was effectively written. From Manchester to Rochdale, Salford to Wigan, the deadlines now bind every social landlord.

What you need to know about repairs in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is made up of ten boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Wigan, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Trafford and Tameside. Several have transferred their housing stock to registered providers, others retained it. The result is a patchwork of council and housing-association tenancies, with a single shared legal duty.

Awaab Ishak died in Rochdale in December 2020, in a home managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. The independent statutory ruling in his case drove the new law that bears his name. From 27 October 2025, Awaab's Law applies across every borough in Greater Manchester.

Private rented growth across Manchester, Salford and Hulme has been rapid. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 applies to every rented home in the region, regardless of landlord type. If your landlord is a private letting agent, the Property Redress Scheme or The Property Ombudsman is the free complaints route.

Awaab's Law deadlines, the same across Greater Manchester

Awaab's Law started on 27 October 2025. It gives every social landlord across Greater Manchester firm deadlines once you have reported a hazard. The clock applies to every council and registered provider in the region.

ActionDeadline
Emergency hazard, make safe24 hours
Significant hazard, investigate10 working days
Written summary of findings3 working days after investigation
Complete the works5 working days after written summary

Awaab's Law applies to every social landlord in Greater Manchester from 27 October 2025. Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the landlord at the centre of the case that drove the law, is bound by the same clock as every other registered provider and council in the region.

Districts and boroughs across Greater Manchester

The law is the same wherever you are in the region. Local councils and registered providers all owe the same duties to their tenants.

Manchester
Stock transferred in 2005 to One Manchester, Mosscare St Vincents and others. See our Manchester city page.
Open city page
Salford
Salford City Council retained its housing stock. Pendleton Together and ForViva manage estates under partnership agreements.
Bolton
Stock transferred to Bolton at Home in 2011. Now part of the Together Housing Group.
Wigan
Wigan Council retained its stock. Around 22,000 council homes across the borough.
Rochdale
Stock transferred to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. The landlord at the centre of the original Awaab Ishak case.
Trafford, Oldham, Bury, Tameside, Stockport
Mixed stock-retention pattern. Each borough has its own housing repairs and complaints process.

If your landlord is ignoring you in Greater Manchester

Each of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs has its own environmental health team. If you are private rented and your landlord ignores you, the borough's housing standards team can inspect under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and serve notices.

How a claim works

  1. Tell your landlord in writing. First you report the problem to your landlord and ask them to put it right. Keep a copy of what you send and any reply. If they do not sort it out, you may have a claim.
  2. A no-win-no-fee claim. A panel solicitor takes your case. If you do not win, you pay nothing. If you win, you pay an agreed fee out of your compensation, never out of your own pocket, and we explain it clearly before you start. This is worth thinking about if the problem has gone on a long time, or the landlord keeps ignoring you.

We will tell you honestly whether you have a claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669. Support for Tenants is a regulated company. We are not a solicitor. Panel solicitors run the cases.

Speak to an adviser about your Greater Manchester home

Five-minute call. No upfront cost. We cover every postcode in England and Wales.

By: Support for Tenants editorial team

Last updated:

Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 22 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only and not guaranteed; every case is different.

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The law is on your side

Wherever you are in the region, the rules are the same, and they work. This is what landlords across England were made to pay tenants in one recent year, and it is what we help you claim.

£5.4m
compensation ordered for tenants in one year
26,901
orders made to put things right
40%
of it for damp, mould and leaks
£32,000
the largest single award

Figures from the independent statutory review, Annual Complaints Review 2024 to 2025. These are sector-wide outcomes for social housing tenants in England.