Initiative aims to get larger families off the housing register
Manchester City Council is offering social housing tenants a cash incentive of £2,500 to move into smaller properties, freeing up larger homes for families.
The funding is available for people in a social rent home, whether owned by the council or housing association, and can be spent on anything they want. Downsizers are also supported with moving costs.
According to the council, around 20,000 households are currently on the housing register with larger family homes representing some of the most significant wait times. Meanwhile, an estimated third of all social rented family homes are thought to be underoccupied.
In 2025, 109 households were financially supported to downsize via the “Rightsizing Incentive Scheme.”
Downsizers - which the council refer to as “rightsizers” - can stay in their local community or choose to move elsewhere in the city.
Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “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.”
Manchester City Council has also started a public consultation on a new draft empty homes strategy (2026-2032) this week, seeking to garner feedback about how to bring empty homes back into use.
The authority estimates that there are around 1,500 homes in Manchester which have been empty for more than six months and are therefore subject to at least a 100% premium on top of the standard council tax charge.
White added: “We know there are still a few thousand homes in the city that are not being used and during a housing crisis this is a wasted resource at a time when we know families across the city are waiting for a home to live in.
“The vast majority of the owners of these homes are not willingly leaving these properties unused. There are often complex reasons why a home is empty, which is why we are developing our strategy to support owners to bring them back to market to provide housing for people who desperately need it.”
The consultation will close on Monday 2 March.
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