Selective licensing · 2022 designation (Clayton & Openshaw, Gorton & Abbey Hey, Harpurhey)
In force | Area covered | Part of the council area |
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| Fee | £798 (Part A £402 + Part B £396) |
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| Discounts | early bird £591; subsequent £694 |
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Streets listed (4)
Ben Street (Clayton and Openshaw) · Hyde Road (Gorton and Abbey Hey) · The Ladders (Gorton and Abbey Hey) · Trinity (Harpurhey)
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Public register
Details read from the council website via a summary tool because the page blocks automated reading. Please confirm on the council page.
Note from our check: start/end dates unresolved (council site Cloudflare-blocked; scheme sub-page URLs too long for WebFetch); area-to-designation mapping partly inferred from fees page ward list
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
Selective licensing · 2023 designation (Longsight, Levenshulme, Moss Side, Rusholme)
In force | Area covered | Part of the council area |
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| Fee | £936 (Part A £490 + Part B £446) |
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| Discounts | early bird £736; subsequent £828 |
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Streets listed (4)
The Royals (Longsight) · Matthews Lane (Levenshulme) · Great Western Street/Claremont Road (Moss Side) · Laindon/Dickenson Road and Birch Lane (Rusholme)
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Public register
Details read from the council website via a summary tool because the page blocks automated reading. Please confirm on the council page.
Note from our check: start/end dates unresolved; mapping of areas to 2023 designation inferred
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
Selective licensing · 2025 designation (Cheetham, Crumpsall, Harpurhey, Longsight, Miles Platting & Newton Heath, Moss Side)
In force | Area covered | Part of the council area |
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| Designation made | 24 Feb 2025 |
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| Fee | £964 (Part A £469 + Part B £495) |
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| Discounts | early bird £764 (24 Feb-23 May 2025); subsequent £864 |
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Streets listed (6)
Flats above shops and Esmond/Avondale area (Cheetham) · Enver Road area (Crumpsall) · Whiteway Street area (Harpurhey) · Heathcote/Sanby Road and Northmoor Road areas (Longsight) · Droylsden Road and Scotland Street areas (Miles Platting and Newton Heath) · Viscount Street and Heald Grove areas (Moss Side)
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Public register
Details read from the council website via a summary tool because the page blocks automated reading. Please confirm on the council page.
Note from our check: start ~24 May 2025 inferred from 3-month statutory period (not stated); end not captured; additional: none
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
Mandatory HMO licensing in Manchester
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
Manchester HMO licence register
The council's public register of licensed properties: Manchester City Council public register. Use it to check whether a property already holds a licence, for example before you buy. Licences do not transfer to a new owner.
Manchester Article 4 and HMO planning rules
Manchester does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Tribunal record: rent repayment orders and civil penalties in Manchester
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in Manchester. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 18 (5 in the last 3 years) |
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| Orders made | 6 (40% of decisions with a known outcome) |
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| Median award | £4,291 (last 3 years: £3,236) |
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| Total awarded | £43,671 |
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| Civil penalty appeals | 10 |
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| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 22.2% |
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| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £16,000 / £30,000 |
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| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 8 |
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Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
Landlord database deadline for Manchester
Manchester is in the North West region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 May 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 Aug 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
Get help with a Manchester licence application
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Manchester licensing: common questions
Is there selective licensing in Manchester?
Yes. 2022 designation (Clayton & Openshaw, Gorton & Abbey Hey, Harpurhey): in force (part of the area); 2023 designation (Longsight, Levenshulme, Moss Side, Rusholme): in force (part of the area); 2025 designation (Cheetham, Crumpsall, Harpurhey, Longsight, Miles Platting & Newton Heath, Moss Side): in force (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
How much is an HMO licence in Manchester?
Selective licensing: £798; Selective licensing: £936; Selective licensing: £964. Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Does Manchester have an Article 4 direction for HMOs?
Manchester does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
Where is the Manchester HMO licence register?
The council publishes its public register of licences here: Manchester City Council register. Councils must keep a register of licences under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
How often do landlords in Manchester face rent repayment orders or fines?
The First-tier Tribunal has published 18 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Manchester (6 with an order made), median award £4,291, and 10 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Sources
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.