HMO Licence Manchester: Fees, Application, and Selective Licensing

Manchester has mandatory HMO licensing citywide and selective licensing in designated ward clusters — but no additional HMO licensing scheme. That means small HMOs with three or four sharers do not need a licence in Manchester unless they are in a selective licensing area, while larger HMOs (five or more people from two or more households, meeting a statutory HMO test) need a mandatory licence everywhere.

Mandatory HMO Licence Fees

Manchester City Council charges £1,321 for a mandatory HMO licence for a property with five occupants. The fee scales up with property size — larger HMOs with more bedrooms and occupants pay more.

The fee follows the Part A/Part B split:

Part A is non-refundable. If your application is rejected, withdrawn, or deemed invalid because of missing documents, that £865 is gone. Part B is only invoiced after the council issues a "minded to grant" notice.

Manchester offers a £200 renewal discount for landlords renewing an existing mandatory licence before it expires. The discount does not apply to first-time applications or to licences that have already lapsed.

Selective Licensing

Manchester operates selective licensing in designated ward clusters. These designations have been introduced in phases:

• Some ward designations commenced in 2022, with fees starting at £798
• Later designations moved to £936 (2023) and £964 (2025)
• Designations expire between 2027 and 2030, at which point the council must renew through a fresh public consultation

Selective licensing applies to all privately rented properties in the designated areas, not just HMOs. A single-family let in a selective licensing ward needs a selective licence.

Use the council's postcode checker to confirm whether your property falls within a designated area. Ward boundaries are not intuitive — a property on one side of a street may need a selective licence while the property opposite does not.

No Additional Licensing Scheme

Manchester does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. This means a house with three or four sharers from different households — an HMO that falls below the mandatory threshold — does not need a property licence in Manchester (unless it is in a selective licensing ward, in which case it needs a selective licence as a rented property, not specifically as an HMO).

This gap matters. A four-person shared house in Manchester outside a selective ward needs no licence at all, while the same property in Birmingham needs an additional HMO licence because Birmingham runs a citywide additional scheme.

Article 4 Direction

Manchester has Article 4 Directions in targeted ward clusters that remove permitted development rights for converting a dwelling (C3) to a small HMO (C4). If your property is in an area with an Article 4 Direction, you need planning permission as well as the HMO licence.

The planning permission is a separate application to the council's planning department. Having a licence does not satisfy the planning requirement, and having planning permission does not satisfy the licensing requirement.

The Application Process

Manchester processes applications through its online licensing portal. You need the standard document set:

• Gas Safety Certificate (within 12 months)
• EICR (satisfactory, within 5 years)
• EPC (rated E or above)
• Fire Risk Assessment (reviewed within 12 months)
• Measured floor plans in square metres
• Proof of title
• Tenancy agreements
• Fit and proper person declaration

Manchester applies the statutory minimum room sizes strictly: 6.51 m² for a single room, 10.22 m² for a double, with the 1.5-metre ceiling height deduction for areas under sloping roofs.

Processing and "Duly Made" Protection

Once Manchester City Council accepts your application as complete — all documents uploaded, Part A fee paid, all fields populated — it is marked as "duly made." Under Section 72(4)(b) of the Housing Act 2004, you are protected from prosecution for operating an unlicensed HMO while the council processes the application.

A payment receipt alone is not enough. If essential certificates are missing when you submit, the application is not duly made and the protection does not apply. Get everything uploaded before you pay the fee.

Processing times in Manchester typically run 6 to 12 weeks, though busy periods can push this longer. Tacit consent does not apply — your application is not automatically approved if the council takes longer than expected.

Our HMO Licensing Guide for England covers the Manchester fee structure alongside the national application process, with a document tracker and fee planner for the two-part payment.

See more England guides →