Licensing in Wigan

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing

  Area

  Entire Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council area, including Wigan and Leigh and other borough towns; not just Wigan town or the former local Article4 areas. Mandatory licensing is separate from planning.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £823

  Current dedicated fees page: new £823, renewal £531; properties with 11–20 occupiers pay an additional £34, 21+ an additional £65. These match the 2026/27 schedule columns; that dated schedule is headed proposed 2026/27, but the live fees independently confirm operative amounts. Exact effective day was not shown or recovered. The fee applies regardless of licence duration; full payment is required with the application. No separate payment stage, refund schedule, accreditation discount or early-bird amount is stated on the current fees page. Do not substitute older £652/£792 figures from secondary or old sites.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by five or more people in two or more households sharing amenities, regardless of storeys, subject to statutory prescribed-description exclusions. Three-person generic HMO definition is not licensing threshold.

  Exemptions

  Current FAQ cites Schedule14: qualifying social/public bodies, owner household with up to two lodgers, qualifying educational/regulated/religious accommodation and two-person/two-household buildings. Exact statutory tests apply; generic list not a blanket unusual-building exemption.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
  ›How we checked this

  Current dedicated HMO page explicitly requires only 5+ mandatory licensing; the generic landlord licence page contradicts itself by also saying three people must apply. Use the dedicated licensing test and 2025 Article 4 FAQ, rather than the generic three-person HMO definition. The current council page explicitly says no selective scheme; the published 2025 FOI explicitly says no additional or selective schemes. The 2025 housing strategy only explores selective benefits and promises later consultation if appropriate. On 20 March 2025 Cabinet endorsed an options appraisal, not a designation or consultation for a fixed area. No new formal area, fee, start or designation was recovered in current searches. Maximum five years for good history; one to three years for management or non-compliance concerns; managers new to the borough initially get a one-year trial which may extend after inspection at no extra cost. Previously unlicensed properties normally get one year then require a new application and fee; B&B properties normally get a maximum two years (one if concerns). Late or incomplete applications may reduce the period. Reasons for shorter terms are given in writing. Licences are non-transferable on owner/holder change; a fit and proper manager needs a Basic Criminal Disclosure within six months of application. Landlord Hub registration is required; inspection occurs at least once per licence term. Current standard conditions version 1.1 June 2025 and standards were retrieved. Licensing pages retain £30000 and Section 21 prose: historical, not current national rules.

  Sources

  • wigan.gov.uk: Index
  • wigan.gov.uk: Houses in multiple occupation
  • wigan.gov.uk: Applying for a mandatory HMO Licence
  • wigan.gov.uk: HMO further information
  • wigan.gov.uk: Fees and charges
  • wigan.gov.uk: Mandatory HMO Licence Conditions (PDF)
  • wigan.gov.uk: HMO Standards (PDF)
  • wigan.gov.uk: Apply for a HMO licence New applications (PDF)
  • wigan.gov.uk: Do I need to apply for a licence
  • wigan.gov.uk: 18997 (PDF)
  • wigan.moderngov.co.uk: Appendix 2 Fees and Charges 202627 (PDF)
  • wigan.moderngov.co.uk: ieDecisionDetails
  • wigan.moderngov.co.uk: Selective Licensing Schemes (PDF)
  • wigan.gov.uk: Housing Strategy (PDF)
  • wigan.moderngov.co.uk: mgIssueHistoryHome

Council source

Wigan's civil penalty policy

We found no consultations when we researched Wigan.

We could not settle these points when we researched Wigan on 15 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Recover any interim/adopted RRA civil-penalty matrix from 1 May 2026. The published 2025 policy has the old £30000 ceiling and the forward-plan review awaits a 19 November 2026 decision. Do not automatically promote that future decision date or treat the old matrix as current law.

• Not yet confirmed

  Monitor the selective options appraisal endorsed 20 March 2025 and the 2025 housing strategy. No area-specific formal consultation, designation, start, end or fee was established; options-appraisal approval is not approval of an operative scheme. Current council guidance says no selective scheme and the 2025 FOI says no additional scheme.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm the exact effective day/adoption for £823/£531 fees and £34/£65 supplements. The current live page confirms amounts; the 2026/27 schedule corroborates them under a proposed column, but no operative-date instrument was recovered.

• Not yet confirmed

  Resolve the generic landlord-page three-person licensing contradiction. Dedicated current HMO guidance, application criteria and Article 4 FAQ all use 5+ mandatory, and no additional scheme was found. Generic three-person definition must not be used to say all small HMOs need a licence.

• Not yet confirmed

  Check property-specific licence conditions and duration, especially new-manager trial extensions, previously unlicensed properties and B&B. Current written conditions from June 2025 and guidance are not individual licence approval.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Wigan 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