Additional HMO licensing · Rochdale Borough Council
Rochdale Borough Council designation of the whole borough for additional licensing of houses in multiple occupation, 2025 to 2030 (Cabinet 29 October 2024: Designation of Additional Licensing Scheme for HMOs)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 28 April 2025 to 28 April 2030
- Fee
- £1,031.20 for a five-year licence under the council's approved 2025/26 fees, plus an inspection fee of £54.10 for each habitable room, such as a bedroom, lounge or dining room, so a house with 10 habitable rooms pays £1,572.20. A landlord's later applications cost £874.10. The council proposed £1,062.10 plus £55.70 a room for 2026/27, and its web page still shows older figures (£1,011 plus £53), so check the current fee with the council.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in the borough of Rochdale that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes let to three or four people from two or more households who share facilities, whatever the number of storeys. The council also licenses buildings converted into self-contained flats before June 1992 where fewer than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied. HMOs with five or more people from two or more households need a mandatory licence instead. HMOs that don't need a licence include homes shared by just two people, an owner's or leaseholder's home with up to two lodgers, buildings managed by the council, a housing association, the police, fire or health services, some student housing run by a college or university, and buildings regulated under other laws, such as care homes.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Rochdale Borough Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you hold a licence here, HouseFile can track its renewal date
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