North West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Halton
✓ Hand-verified 18 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Halton does not currently operate a selective or additional licensing scheme. Here's the current position.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Halton sets this fee under section 63(3) of the Housing Act 2004. Its current charge is not yet recorded here.
The council’s own licensing page carries the charge that applies today — confirm it there before you budget.
Not established is not the same as free.
Evidenced negative, consultation LIVE NOW (first-party research 18 Aug 2026). No s.80 designation is in force. The council page states "Halton Borough Council is proposing to introduce a Selective Licensing scheme under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. If approved, the scheme would require most privately rented homes in the proposed designation areas to be licensed by the Council, unless exempt by law", that "The proposed scheme would cover an estimated 3,485 private rented households. Based on 2021 Census data, this represents around 43.4% of the borough's private rented households", and that consultation runs "from Monday 3rd August at 12pm to Sunday 18th October 2026 at 11.59pm" with "No final decision has been made at this stage." Executive Board approved commencing consultation 12 March 2026; the Safer and Housing Policy and Performance Board endorsed it 9 March 2026. Proposed areas: Central and West Bank, Appleton, Mersey and Weston, Bridgewater and the Highfield area of Widnes. Proposed fee GBP 685 per property for up to five years, split GBP 310 on application and GBP 375 on grant. Intended commencement April 2027 if approved. The Windmill Hill and Castlefields history relates to Runcorn new-town regeneration, not Part 3 licensing. recheck after 18 Oct 2026 and again Q1 2027.
Evidenced negative (first-party research 18 Aug 2026): no s.56 additional HMO designation is in force. The Executive Board officer report records that selective licensing, not additional licensing, was the route chosen to address HMO and private rented sector concerns raised from September 2022 onward. Evidence base cited by the council: "Between 2020 and 2026, the four proposed full wards accounted for 257 housing condition complaints, representing around 39% of all such complaints in Halton", with stock modelling estimating 1,454 private rented homes carrying Category 1 HHSRS hazards.
Halton has consulted on this scheme but has not designated it. No licence is required on this basis and none can be applied for. The position above is the current legal position. This is here so a decision does not arrive as a surprise.
A selective licensing scheme under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, which would require most privately rented homes in the designated areas to be licensed unless exempt by law.
- The consultation is still open — you can respond to the council until 18 October 2026.
- 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.
- The council has not published a proposed fee. Budget for one anyway — comparable schemes run to several hundred pounds or more per property — and treat any figure you see quoted elsewhere as unverified until the council publishes it.
- 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 Halton 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.
Common questions
Does Halton have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Halton 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 Halton have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Halton 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 Halton?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Halton, 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.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
All property licensing in North West →
Source: Halton licensing page →
Every landlord in Halton also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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