Rental Property Licensing in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is made up of ten local authority areas, and licensing requirements vary significantly between them. Manchester City Council has been expanding its selective licensing programme, while neighbouring authorities like Salford have introduced their own schemes. Here is an overview of what applies across the region.

Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council has introduced selective licensing in designated areas across the city. The most recent expansion, approved in 2024, added schemes covering parts of Cheetham, Crumpsall, Harpurhey, Longsight, Miles Platting, Newton Heath and Moss Side, adding around 1,863 properties to the licensed pool.

There are approximately 100,000 privately rented properties in Manchester, making up around 40% of the city's total housing stock. The council has been clear that it will continue to expand selective licensing where evidence supports it.

Salford City Council

Salford has introduced selective licensing in specific areas. The most recent scheme, covering Broughton, Kersal and Broughton Park, launched on 21 January 2026 at a cost of £600 per licence. Earlier schemes have also been introduced in other parts of Salford.

Other Greater Manchester authorities

The other eight Greater Manchester authorities (Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) each have their own approach to licensing. Some operate additional or selective licensing schemes in specific areas; others rely primarily on mandatory HMO licensing. The picture changes regularly as councils consult on and introduce new schemes.

Mandatory HMO licensing across Greater Manchester

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across all ten Greater Manchester authorities, as it does across all of England, for properties with five or more tenants from two or more households sharing facilities.

How to check if your property needs a licence

Because licensing across Greater Manchester is so varied, the only reliable way to know whether a specific property needs a licence is to check its address. Use Tuxa to get an immediate answer for any address in the region.

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Tuxa monitors licensing scheme data across England. Use the search above to check any property in Greater Manchester or anywhere else in the country.