Greater Manchester · Council licensing
Manchester 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. Check the council for the current fee.
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: unknown
Scheme runs until: 23 May 2030
No additional licensing scheme is currently in force.
Source: Manchester licensing page →
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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