The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home

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Moving house / Credit: Vitaly Gariev (via Unsplash)

The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.  

Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs. 

The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.

The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.

It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.

This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.

Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.

Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.  

The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.

“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.  

“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”

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Does this sound like you? Are you ready to ‘rightsize’? Find out more and begin the process via Manchester City Council’s website here.

Featured Image – Vitaly Gariev (via Unsplash)

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