Greater Manchester · Council licensing
Rochdale 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.
No selective licensing scheme is currently in force.
Rochdale Borough Council operates a borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme. The scheme (officially "The Rochdale Borough Council additional Licensing of HMOs Scheme") was designated on 28 January 2025, came into force on 28 April 2025, and runs for 5 years until 28 April 2030. It applies to any HMO occupied by 3 or 4 persons forming 2 or more households across the whole borough. Standard application fee £1,011 plus inspection fee of £53 per habitable room (example: 10 habitable room HMO costs £1,541 total for 5 years = approx £308/year). Rochdale has circa 90,000 homes and population of 223,000. Since 2016 the council has seen a 46% rise in private tenant complaints with rising HMO concerns (disrepair, overcrowding, waste, ASB). The council considers almost all inspected HMOs since 2016 to have contained category 1 hazards, with widespread fire safety failures. Administered by the Housing Standards Team at Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale.
Areas: Borough of Rochdale for 3 or 4 person small HMOs
Scheme runs until: 28 April 2030
Source: Rochdale 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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