Licensing in Rochdale

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  Rochdale Borough Council Additional Licensing of HMOs Scheme (2025) — section 254 HMOs

  Area

  Whole Rochdale Borough Council administrative area, including Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and the Pennines township area.

  Runs

  28 April 2025 to 27 April 2030

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,011

  The current HMO page gives a £1,011 application charge plus £53 inspection fee for every habitable room, for mandatory and additional licences. The £1,011 amount is a base, not an all-in five-year price. The council example counts eight bedrooms, one lounge and one dining room as ten habitable rooms: £1,011 + £530 = £1,541. Its example does not count the kitchen, bathrooms or separate toilets as habitable rooms. VAT is not payable on the licence fee. No distinct renewal tariff, current discount, payment-stage split or effective date of this published tariff was established.

  Who needs one

  Section 254 HMOs of three or more persons comprising two or more households (in practice 3 or 4 person shared HMOs, since 5+ need a mandatory licence), across the whole borough, unless exempt or already requiring a mandatory licence (designation paragraph 5). Section 257 converted blocks are a separate record under the same designation.

  Exemptions

  Buildings in Schedule 14 (Annex C of the designation: buildings that are not HMOs for the purposes of the Act), HMOs under interim or final management orders, HMOs with a temporary exemption notice under s.62, and HMOs requiring a mandatory licence under s.55(2)(a).

  Apply on the council’s website
  ›How we checked this

  Licences last up to five years, can be shorter and usually end on the scheme expiry date. Each property needs its own non-transferable licence. The application process first requires a fit-and-proper-person registration and emailed reference, then the HMO application. Cabinet approved the borough-wide scheme on 29 October 2024 after consultation from 15 April to 15 July 2024. The sealed designation (council download 2737) reads: 'This designation is made on 28 January 2025 and shall come into force on 28 April 2025' and 'shall cease to have effect on 28 April 2030 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme'. 28 April 2030 is the fifth anniversary, so the last day in force is 27 April 2030 and no ceases_on is recorded. Paragraph 5 covers section 254 HMOs of 3 or more persons in 2 or more households and 'HMOs as defined in section 257 of that Act where less than half of the flats are owner-occupied'. The declaration notice (download 2736) summarises the scheme as '3 and 4 person' HMOs and refers to consequences 'After the 29th April 2025'; the council's 'Check if you need an HMO licence' page says the scheme 'has been in effect since 29 April 2025'. The commencement clause of the designation (28 April 2025) is used. Council FAQ and the August 2026 standards guide state different section 257 tenure tests (less than two thirds owner-occupied; two thirds or more tenanted); the designation's own test (less than half owner-occupied) is recorded. The previous scheme ended in 2016, so this scheme is not continuous with it.

  Sources

  • rochdale.gov.uk: hmo
  • rochdale.gov.uk: selective licensing private rented properties
  • rochdale.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation hmo standards guide
  • rochdale.moderngov.co.uk: ieDecisionDetails
  • rochdale.moderngov.co.uk: Designation of Additional Licensing Scheme for HMOs (PDF)
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme declaration and designation notices
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme designation notice
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme declaration notice
  • rochdale.gov.uk: check need hmo licence

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  Rochdale Borough Council Additional Licensing of HMOs Scheme (2025) — section 257 converted blocks

  Area

  Whole Rochdale Borough Council administrative area, including Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and the Pennines township area.

  Runs

  28 April 2025 to 27 April 2030

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,011

  The current HMO page gives a £1,011 application charge plus £53 inspection fee for every habitable room, for mandatory and additional licences. The £1,011 amount is a base, not an all-in five-year price. The council example counts eight bedrooms, one lounge and one dining room as ten habitable rooms: £1,011 + £530 = £1,541. Its example does not count the kitchen, bathrooms or separate toilets as habitable rooms. VAT is not payable on the licence fee. No distinct renewal tariff, current discount, payment-stage split or effective date of this published tariff was established.

  Who needs one

  Section 257 converted blocks: buildings converted into self-contained flats whose conversion did not comply, and still does not comply, with the appropriate building standards defined in Housing Act 2004 section 257(3). Which standards apply turns on when the building work was completed (before or after 1 June 1992), whether it was dealt with by regulation 20 of the Building Regulations 1991, and whether it would have been exempt under those Regulations; this record does not restate that test. The scheme covers those blocks where less than half of the flats are owner-occupied (designation paragraph 5), unless exempt. The licence is for the block, not each individual flat.

  Exemptions

  Buildings in Schedule 14 (Annex C of the designation: buildings that are not HMOs for the purposes of the Act), HMOs under interim or final management orders, HMOs with a temporary exemption notice under s.62, and HMOs requiring a mandatory licence under s.55(2)(a).

  Apply on the council’s website
  ›How we checked this

  Licences last up to five years, can be shorter and usually end on the scheme expiry date. Each property needs its own non-transferable licence. The application process first requires a fit-and-proper-person registration and emailed reference, then the HMO application. Cabinet approved the borough-wide scheme on 29 October 2024 after consultation from 15 April to 15 July 2024. The sealed designation (council download 2737) reads: 'This designation is made on 28 January 2025 and shall come into force on 28 April 2025' and 'shall cease to have effect on 28 April 2030 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme'. 28 April 2030 is the fifth anniversary, so the last day in force is 27 April 2030 and no ceases_on is recorded. Paragraph 5 covers section 254 HMOs of 3 or more persons in 2 or more households and 'HMOs as defined in section 257 of that Act where less than half of the flats are owner-occupied'. The declaration notice (download 2736) summarises the scheme as '3 and 4 person' HMOs and refers to consequences 'After the 29th April 2025'; the council's 'Check if you need an HMO licence' page says the scheme 'has been in effect since 29 April 2025'. The commencement clause of the designation (28 April 2025) is used. Council FAQ and the August 2026 standards guide state different section 257 tenure tests (less than two thirds owner-occupied; two thirds or more tenanted); the designation's own test (less than half owner-occupied) is recorded. The previous scheme ended in 2016, so this scheme is not continuous with it.

  Sources

  • rochdale.gov.uk: hmo
  • rochdale.gov.uk: selective licensing private rented properties
  • rochdale.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation hmo standards guide
  • rochdale.moderngov.co.uk: ieDecisionDetails
  • rochdale.moderngov.co.uk: Designation of Additional Licensing Scheme for HMOs (PDF)
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme declaration and designation notices
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme designation notice
  • rochdale.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing scheme declaration notice
  • rochdale.gov.uk: check need hmo licence
  • legislation.gov.uk: 257

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing

  Area

  Whole Rochdale Borough Council administrative area, including Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and the Pennines township area.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,011

  The current HMO page gives a £1,011 application charge plus £53 inspection fee for every habitable room, for mandatory and additional licences. The £1,011 amount is a base, not an all-in five-year price. The council example counts eight bedrooms, one lounge and one dining room as ten habitable rooms: £1,011 + £530 = £1,541. Its example does not count the kitchen, bathrooms or separate toilets as habitable rooms. VAT is not payable on the licence fee. No distinct renewal tariff, current discount, payment-stage split or effective date of this published tariff was established.

  Who needs one

  HMOs with five or more people forming two or more households and sharing facilities, subject to statutory exclusions; there is no storey requirement.

  Exemptions

  Statutory HMO exclusions apply. Section 257 converted blocks are not automatically subject to mandatory licensing merely because the whole building is an HMO.

  Apply on the council’s website
  ›How we checked this

  Licences last up to five years, can be shorter and usually end on the scheme expiry date. Each property needs its own non-transferable licence. The current application process first requires a fit-and-proper-person registration and emailed reference, then the HMO application. The council assesses property suitability, licence-holder and manager fitness, management competence and financial arrangements. Current amenity/fire standards and the individual issued conditions govern; the October 2024 committee conditions appendix is a property-specific example headed Molesworth Hotel, not a universal issued licence. Rochdale also operates additional HMO licensing; do not use the five-person mandatory threshold as a general exemption for smaller shared HMOs. The council's selective licensing page says 'Selective licensing has not yet been introduced across the borough of Rochdale.' No later selective designation or defined current selective-licensing consultation was established in targeted council and committee searches.

  Sources

  • rochdale.gov.uk: hmo
  • rochdale.gov.uk: selective licensing private rented properties
  • rochdale.gov.uk: check need hmo licence
  • rochdale.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation hmo standards guide

Council source

Rochdale's civil penalty policy

• Borough-wide additional HMO licensing consultation — followed by approval and 2025 commencementApproved

  Closed 15 Jul 2024

We could not settle these points when we researched Rochdale. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm the current adopted Renters' Rights Act civil-penalty policy and matrix. The published local policy remains the May 2024 revision with the older £30,000 framework.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm any made Article 4 direction after the 16 July 2026 amended motion. A stated intention and evidence work are not an operative direction.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm the current HMO fee commencement date, renewal arrangements, any discounts or payment stages and the complete conditions applicable to an issued licence.

• Not yet confirmed

  Council guidance (the FAQ, since removed, and the August 2026 standards guide) gave section 257 tenure tests (FAQ: less than two thirds owner-occupied; August 2026 guide: two thirds or more tenanted) that differ from the designation's 'less than half of the flats are owner-occupied'; the designation governs, but ask the council about a particular converted block.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Rochdale is in North West, where registration is planned from 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register