Salford Additional HMO Licensing Scheme Expired: What Small HMO Landlords Do Now

Salford's citywide additional HMO licensing scheme for 3- and 4-person shared houses officially expired on 19 July 2026. Every licence issued under that scheme stopped being valid on that date, and the council has confirmed they cannot be renewed. If you held one of those licences, you're now in a different regulatory position — but that doesn't necessarily mean you're free of licensing obligations.

What Expired and What Didn't

The expired scheme required a licence for any HMO in Salford occupied by three or four people from two or more separate households who shared (or lacked) basic amenities. It covered the gap between selective licensing (which targets specific streets) and mandatory HMO licensing (which applies at five or more occupants).

What hasn't expired:

• Mandatory HMO licensing — still active citywide for properties with five or more occupants from two or more households
• Selective licensing — still active in both designated zones (Eccles/Barton/Winton and Broughton/Kersal/Broughton Park)
• Section 257 additional licensing — launching 24 November 2026 for converted flat blocks

Do You Need a Different Licence?

Work through this decision in order:

Is the property inside a selective licensing zone? Check the street address against the council's designated street lists. If the property is on a listed street in either the Eccles or Broughton area, you need a selective licence. Selective licensing applies to all privately rented properties on designated streets — not just HMOs. So a small shared house in the Broughton zone now needs a selective licence instead of the expired additional HMO licence.

Is the property outside both selective zones? No property licence is currently required. The additional scheme has ended, and there is no replacement covering 3- and 4-person HMOs outside the selective areas.

If the property is a flat in a qualifying Section 257 converted block, the building will need a separate licence when that scheme starts on 24 November 2026.

Could the occupancy reach five? If tenants change and the property ends up with five or more occupants from two or more households, mandatory HMO licensing applies citywide. Keep occupancy levels under review.

Regulations That Still Apply Without a Licence

Losing the licensing requirement does not mean the property stops being an HMO. A house shared by three or four unrelated people is still classified as a House in Multiple Occupation under Section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 — the classification is based on how the property is occupied, not whether it needs a licence.

This means the statutory HMO Management Regulations continue to apply. The landlord must maintain common areas, keep fire escape routes clear, ensure water supply and drainage work properly, and provide adequate waste disposal facilities. Gas safety certificates and EICRs are still required under separate regulations.

The practical difference is that without a licence, the council doesn't have the same monitoring framework — no licence conditions, no inspections scheduled at renewal. But enforcement powers under the Housing Act still apply to HMO management regulation breaches.

The Transition to Selective Licensing

Landlords whose small HMOs moved from the expired additional scheme into a selective licensing zone may notice a change in how the council interacts with them. Selective licences carry their own set of conditions, which overlap with but aren't identical to the old additional HMO conditions. The fee is also different — £609 for a standard selective licence versus the fees that applied under the expired scheme.

If you're navigating this transition, the Salford Landlord Licensing Guide explains every current scheme, the decision framework for which licence applies, and the full application process.

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