The Mancunian Way: 'Well, it's Fallowfield'

Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter. You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.

Here's the Mancunian Way for today:

Hello

Almost two-thirds of the properties on Matthews Lane in Levenshulme are rented out by landlords. It’s, by Manchester’s standards, quite an anomaly.

Around 90,000 homes across Manchester are part of the private rented sector, which accounts for around 38 pc of housing in the city. However, the sector remains largely unregulated and can result in rogue landlords going unchecked.

This week, four new selective licensing schemes were launched in Moss Side, Whalley Range, Rusholme, Longsight and Levenshulme. The streets involved in the new scheme were selected according to the number of private rented properties in them.

As part of the scheme, landlords in areas part of the scheme will be required to obtain a licence and address any issues relating to poor-quality homes and management standards.

Joseph Timan visited Matthews Lane this week to find out the situation there and how residents living nearby feel about the new scheme. Manchester Council estimates that 170 of 264 homes on the lane are privately rented.

"This is a rubbish home," Elahe Daryoush, a single mother who lives with her two children in Maida Street - an offshoot of Matthews Lane, said, "but I have to stay here. I don't have a choice."

Elahe explained that she is waiting for her housing association to remove the mould in her property. It’s been reported but she says the mould is making her 16-year-old asthmatic son cough in the meantime.

Next month, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will set out his plans for a