Greater Manchester · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Manchester
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Manchester operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Manchester 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.
Manchester City Council operates multiple selective licensing schemes (designated 2017 onwards) across many areas of the city. The current active designations cover approximately 3,900 privately rented properties across multiple wards. Key designations: Scheme 1 (1 May 2022 to 30 April 2027) covers parts of Gorton and Abbey Hey, Harpurhey, Clayton and Openshaw. Scheme 2 (9 August 2023 to 8 August 2028) covers parts of Levenshulme, Moss Side and Whalley Range, Rusholme, The Royals and Longsight. Scheme 3 (24 May 2025 to 23 May 2030, the most recent) covers parts of Cheetham, Crumpsall, Harpurhey, Longsight, Miles Platting and Newton Heath, and Moss Side. The 2025 designation followed Cabinet approval on 24 February 2025 after a 2024 consultation. Since the schemes began in 2017, the council has fully licensed over 3,400 properties and identified more than 1,700 hazards. Selective licence fee starts at £798 (Scheme 3 fee is £964 per licence with discounts for early bird applications). Manchester has approximately 100,000 PRS properties (40% of the total housing stock).
Areas: Three cohorts. 2022 cohort, 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2027: Clayton and Openshaw; Gorton and Abbey Hey (Hyde Road); Gorton and Abbey Hey (Ladders); Harpurhey. 2023 cohort, 9 August 2023 to 8 August 2028: Longsight (The Royals); Levenshulme (Matthews Lane); Moss Side (Great Western Street and Claremont Road); Rusholme (Laindon and Dickenson Road) and (Birch Lane). 2025 cohort, 24 May 2025 to 23 May 2030: Cheetham (flats above shops, Esmond and Avondale); Crumpsall (Enver Road); Harpurhey (Whiteway Street); Longsight (Heathcote and Sanby Road, Northmoor Road); Miles Platting and Newton Heath (Droylsden Road, Scotland Street); Moss Side (Viscount Street, Heald Grove)
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
Manchester — manchester.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 23 May 2030
Manchester does not operate an additional licensing scheme. The council states plainly that it does not currently have one for houses in multiple occupation, and describes two types of licence for privately rented accommodation: an HMO licence, and a selective licence to rent out property in certain areas of the city. Mandatory HMO licensing applies by law wherever a property houses five or more people forming two or more households, so a house let to three or four people is not licensable as an HMO in Manchester. It may still need a selective licence: the city runs selective licensing in designated areas, and a property already holding an HMO licence — mandatory or additional — is exempt from selective licensing precisely because it is already licensed. A landlord with a smaller share should therefore check the selective designation rather than conclude that no licence is needed.
Common questions
Does Manchester have a selective licensing scheme?
Yes. Manchester operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Does Manchester have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Manchester 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 Manchester?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Manchester, 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
Selective licensing in Manchester: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in Greater Manchester →
Source: Manchester licensing page →
Every landlord in Manchester 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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