Do I Need a Landlord Licence in Salford?
If you rent out a property anywhere in Salford, the answer might be yes — and it might be a different type of licence than you expect. Salford runs multiple overlapping schemes, and the one that applies to your property depends on who lives there, how the building is structured, and which street it sits on.
The Four-Step Check
Work through these in order. Stop at the first one that applies.
Step 1: Is it a large HMO? If five or more people from two or more separate households share a kitchen, bathroom, or toilet in the property, you need a mandatory HMO licence. This applies citywide — every ward, every street — with no end date. It doesn't matter whether the property is in a selective licensing zone.
Step 2: Is it a Section 257 converted building? If the property is a block of self-contained flats that was converted without meeting the Building Regulations in force at the time, and fewer than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied, the building itself needs a Section 257 additional HMO licence. This new citywide scheme launches on 24 November 2026 and runs until 24 November 2031.
Step 3: Is it a small HMO? If three or four people from two or more households share the property, it used to need an additional HMO licence — but that scheme expired on 19 July 2026. Now check whether the property's street address falls inside one of Salford's selective licensing zones (Eccles, Barton & Winton or Broughton, Kersal & Broughton Park). If it does, you need a selective licence. If it doesn't, no property licence is currently required — though HMO management regulations still apply.
Step 4: Is it a single-family let or solo tenancy? Check the property's street address against the council's designated street lists. If it's on a listed street in either selective licensing area, you need a selective licence. If it's not, no licence is needed.
How to Check Your Address
Salford City Council publishes street lists for each selective licensing zone. Cross-reference your property's full address — including the house number, because some streets are only partially designated.
If the address falls on a boundary street, the council's rules include properties on both sides of the road unless the list says otherwise. For streets like Bury New Road where coverage is ambiguous, email [email protected] with your full address. The team will confirm in writing whether your property is inside the scheme.
Third-party tools such as HouseFile and Licence Checker England offer postcode lookups, but they can't resolve split-street cases. The council's written confirmation is the only definitive answer for borderline addresses.
Common Situations That Catch People Out
Inherited properties. You inherit a house that's been rented to a single family for years. If the street was designated under selective licensing after the tenancy started, the property now needs a licence — even though nothing about the tenancy changed.
Small HMOs after July 2026. The additional HMO scheme for 3- and 4-person houses expired. If your small HMO is outside both selective zones, it no longer needs a licence. But it's still an HMO under the Housing Act, and statutory management regulations still apply.
Converted flat blocks. Owning a flat in a converted building and letting it to a single family doesn't trigger mandatory HMO licensing. But from 24 November 2026, if the building itself is a Section 257 HMO, someone — usually the freeholder or head leaseholder — needs to hold a building-level licence.
For a complete decision framework covering every scheme, fee, and document requirement, the Salford Landlord Licensing Guide walks through the full process step by step.
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