Manchester Council said it was ‘unacceptable’ the family had been recommended a house linked to the convicted sex offender. Nicole Wootton-Cane reports.
A vulnerable tenant and her children were housed in a property linked to a convicted paedophile in a let ‘facilitated’ by Manchester City Council, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.
Previously, the M.E.N. reported Todros Grynhaus was living just 24 steps from a children’s playground and renting out the house next door to his own on holiday letting platforms like booking.com and AirBnB.
Now, we can reveal a third property owned by Heywood Investments Ltd has been used by Manchester City Council to house a vulnerable tenant and her children on a private rental basis.
The M.E.N. has chosen not to identify the property in order to protect the tenants.
Entries on Companies House show Grynhaus was a director of Heywood Investments between July 2023 and June 2025 – which includes when the tenant moved into the house and the majority of her stay.
He has since resigned from the role of director of the company. His wife Leah Grynhaus is now the only listed director.
In a statement to the MEN, a council spokesperson said they had ‘no knowledge’ of the property’s owner and would ‘never have taken on this property’ had they been aware of Grynhaus’ convictions.
They added it was ‘unacceptable’ that the family had been placed in a property linked to Grynhaus, who was jailed for over 13 years in 2015 after a jury found him guilty of seven sex offences against two young girls between 1996 and 2004.
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Jurors heard he subjected one teenage girl to a campaign of abuse over three years, repeatedly groping her and even taking her to a hotel and molesting her in the jacuzzi. In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Holroyde said Grynhaus took ‘cynical advantage’ of his victims’ vulnerability, adding he believed there was a ‘significant risk’ he would commit further sexual offences ‘against a girl or girls’.
Local MP Elsie Blundell has said it is ‘clear that opportunities for due diligence are being continuously missed’, adding the Ministry of Justice are carrying out an internal review into Grynhaus’ case.
Land registry documents show the property’s registered owner is Heywood Investments Ltd. Grynhaus’ wife Leah Grynhaus has been a director of Heywood Investments since August 2022, and remains a director currently, according to Companies House.
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “We sourced this property via a reputable lettings agency who we understood to have carried out due diligence. We had no knowledge of its owner, who we are assured has absolutely no involvement in its management, maintenance, or communications with tenants which are all carried out by the agency.
“Had we known Grynhaus’ connection we would never have taken on this property. It is clearly unacceptable that this has happened and we completely understand the tenant’s concerns. We will discuss rehousing options with them and will also look to reinforce our own procedures around taking on new properties.”
The Manchester Evening News understands this is the only property on the council’s books owned by Heywood Investments.
Previous reports revealed how Grynhaus had been allowed to live just metres from a children’s playground after digital maps used by the probation service initially failed to ‘identify the presence of the park’.
It was also revealed that Heywood Investments was owner of a house next door which was listed on AirBnB and booking.com as a ‘beautiful and luxurious home’.
The listing included amenities which were targeted towards families with young children, including a travel cot and children’s books and toys for ages five to 10. It was described as ‘the perfect location for… family get togethers’ and boasted of including ‘an exciting variety of rare board games and new toys for all ages’.
The listing was removed from all websites after the M.E.N. contacted AirBnB and Booking.com.
MP for Heywood and Middleton North Elsie Blundell said she remained ‘deeply concerned’ about ‘ongoing developments’ into Grynhaus’ activities.
“It’s clear that opportunities for proper due diligence are being continuously missed,” she told the M.E.N.
“As a result of my representations on this issue, the Ministry of justice is carrying out an internal review, to reduce the risk of it happening again.
“The Probation Service are, in too many cases, failing to protect the communities they work in and they must put this right for the safety and welfare of my constituents.”