From today (Monday 2 Feb 2026) the Council will start a key amnesty allowing tenants in social rented homes to hand in their keys without consequence if they are renting out a home illegally.
The amnesty that will come to an end at the end of the month (Friday 27 Feb 2026) is the first stage of a campaign to tackle tenancy fraud city-wide. This type of fraud can be a criminal offence and takes homes away from those that need them most – many of whom have been on the housing register for many years.
While Manchester has one of the highest proportions of social rent housing in the UK at more than 70,000 homes, demand for this type of housing is high – while millions of pounds is spent each year on temporary accommodation, helping people who are waiting for a social rent property.
Around 20,000 households are currently on Manchester’s housing register (which includes around 11,000 households in priority need) and it’s estimated that around 3 to 6% of Council tenancies could be fraudulent – taking thousands of homes out of the market for the people who need them most.
Manchester City Council is currently progressing a number of measures – including Rightsizing and bringing Empty Homes back into use – to make sure the city can use the homes that already exist in the city in the best way to meet demand. While also making major strides in meeting the ambitious housing deliver targets set out in the 2022 housing strategy – including building at least 10,000 social rent, Council and genuinely affordable homes up to 2032.
Once the key amnesty comes to an end, an expanded and dedicated team of officers will continue to work through potential fraud cases. Where criminal fraud is found, officers will begin prosecution action against those responsible.
To note – where an active investigation is already underway around a fraud case, the key amnesty won’t apply.
The social housing tenancy fraud campaign is one of the first times a local authority has partnered city-wide with housing providers to tackle the issue – which means all the organisations signed up to the Manchester Housing Providers Partnership (MHPP) will work with the Council to report and investigate potential fraud cases.
Some examples of fraudulent tenancies found by the Council include tenants taking up a Council tenancy while living elsewhere, enabling them to rent out the home at market rates; subletting rooms in a Council home without permission; and obtaining a housing by deception or exchanging a property without permission.
Find out more about how to take part in the key amnesty or report concerns about potential tenancy fraud – or if you’re worried that you might be a victim of social housing tenancy fraud
Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said:
“We know how important good quality, safe and secure housing is to the wellbeing of Mancunians. Good housing is a cornerstone of good health and is essential for us all to thrive. That’s why most people want a housing system that is fair and one that provides support to those that need it most.
“Every fraudulent tenancy – whether by accident or by deception – is a home that could be made available for families on the housing register or in temporary accommodation. Knowingly committing tenancy fraud is not a victimless crime – it impacts Manchester families, communities and costs the Council millions of pounds every year. Money that could be better spent on services and support for our residents.
“Between tackling tenancy fraud, supporting people who want to Rightsize their home, and bringing empty homes back into use, we could make a huge dent in our housing register and vastly reduce the time our residents wait for a home that meets their needs. This is all in addition to the significant delivery of new affordable housing already underway in Manchester, with 791 new affordable homes built in our cityin 2025 – the most built since the mid 90s.
“I would urge anyone who thinks they might be committing tenancy fraud to come forward during the amnesty without consequence, and we will work with those people to make sure they are renting legally and open up more social rent homes for families that need them.”