Landlord licensing in Bolton

Borough-wide additional licensing of HMOs with three or four occupants, plus certain converted buildings, at a proposed fee of £1,211 per property for a five-year licence. Follows an Article 4 Direction in force since June 2025. CONSULTATION FINDINGS PUBLISHED JUNE 2026 — arc4 Limited, "Consultation outcomes of the proposed Additional Licensing proposals across Bolton", 72 pages, commissioned by Bolton Council. Read in full 16 Aug 2026. Headline results (report s.3): 85.7% overall support for introducing the scheme (78.3% strongly agree + 7.4% tend to agree; 12.6% disagree). 86.4% support a borough-wide scheme rather than selected areas only (10.8% oppose). 82.9% support including HMOs with 3-4 occupants sharing facilities (12.6% oppose). Separately, and coincidentally also 86.4%, agree with the proposed licence conditions. On the fee (s.3.29): views are mixed and the headline is counter-intuitive — 47.2% think £1,211 is TOO LOW, 30.7% reasonable, only 11.9% too high, 10.2% unsure. That aggregate conceals a split: landlords and agents separately described £1,211 as too high, one calling it "a staggering amount" that would "have to be put on to the rents". NRLA OPPOSED (s.4.37): the National Residential Landlords Association argued a borough-wide scheme "is not justified by the evidence and should not be implemented", on the ground that the Council's own data shows issues concentrated in specific wards — Halliwell, Farnworth and Great Lever — so a blanket approach is disproportionate. They also rejected the displacement argument for lack of evidence. SAMPLE CAVEAT, recorded because the percentages are quoted without it: the online survey drew about 175 responses. 66.9% were owner-occupiers/residents and only 10.3% landlords with a further 1.7% letting or managing agents. The 85.7% support figure therefore rests on roughly 18 landlord responses.

• Bring the property up to licensing standard now. Licence conditions are largely the duties you already have — current gas and electrical certificates, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, written terms of occupancy — and a scheme that is designated typically starts within months, not years.
• Budget for the proposed fee of £1,211 per property, for a five-year licence; HMOs with three or four occupants, plus certain converted buildings. Follows an Article 4 Direction in force since June 2025.. It is a proposal and can change before designation, but it is the council's own published figure.
• Do not apply or pay for a licence yet. There is no scheme to license against, and no council can accept an application for a designation it has not made.
• We check Bolton twice a week for the decision and update this page. If you have a property here on Landlord HQ, the licensing requirement is added to its checklist and you are emailed when the scheme is designated.

Does Bolton have a selective licensing scheme?

No. Bolton does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Does Bolton have an additional HMO licensing scheme?

No. Bolton does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Do I need an HMO licence in Bolton?

A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Bolton, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.