Additional HMO licensing in Rochdale

What the designation says

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.

What this means for a landlord

A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Rochdale's own licensing page →