Senior councillors have voiced concern after properties owned by Riverside Housing in Langley were placed on the open market. They claim the disposals took place without prior engagement with Rochdale Borough Council.
Councillor Daniel Meredith said he and West Middleton councillors Phil Burke, Neil Emmott and Sue Smith are supporting Middleton Tenants Branch in questioning the move.
According to Councillor Meredith, a number of homes in the Langley area of Middleton have been listed for private sale. He said this was despite Riverside Housing signing both the RSHP Commitment Strategy 2024 and the Disposal of Assets Framework 2024 in July 2025.
Councillor Meredith said the purpose of the framework is to ensure land and social housing assets are used in a way that supports the council’s core objectives, including reducing homelessness and meeting statutory housing need.
He said registered providers may on occasion need to dispose of housing stock, but added that the recent actions did not reflect what he described as the expected spirit of partnership working during what he called a national housing emergency.
Rochdale Borough Council is requesting full details of all Riverside property disposals within the last six months to assess the loss of social housing. The council is also asking that any future anticipated disposals within the borough are offered to the authority first so potential purchase options can be explored. In addition, it wants Riverside Housing to re engage with the RSHP framework and commitment strategy to ensure what it describes as timely and transparent partnership working.
Councillor Meredith said the council’s strategic housing officers are ready to support delivery of these actions and that any barriers should be raised with the authority. He added that if a satisfactory response is not provided, the matter may be escalated.
A Riverside spokesperson said: “We always want our homes to be safe, warm and good quality for the people who live in them. Whenever one of our properties across the country becomes empty, we assess what work is needed to bring it up to modern standards and whether it is sustainable for the long term. This includes looking at various factors such as building safety, ongoing maintenance and energy‑efficiency requirements.
“After carefully reviewing our empty homes in Langley, we found that a small number would need a very large amount of work to meet these standards, and unfortunately the cost of doing so isn’t financially viable. As a result, the properties will be sold on the open market. The money raised will be reinvested directly into improving our existing homes and the services we provide to customers.”
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