What is a licence

The Housing Act 2004 requires local authorities to licence privately rented dwellings in three categories:

• Mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) with five or more people and two or more households
• Additional licensing of HMOs excluded from the above
• Selective licensing of other private dwellings where the local authority considers it will benefit tenants and communities, in areas of low demand and/or areas with problems of anti-social behaviour

Salford City Council operates all three types of schemes.

Why introduce licensing

Licensing has been introduced to:

• Tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour - crime/vandalism
• Deal with the issue of low demand - area decline/area abandonment
• Reduce the risk of fire in a house in multiple occupation
• Support inexperienced landlords
• Engage with those landlords who's management arrangements are unsatisfactory

What are the benefits of licensing?

The benefits of licensing are:

• Reduce anti-social behaviour
• Support and training for responsible landlords
• Halt area decline
• Better housing standards for private tenants
• Benefit to wider community and business
• Long term economic benefits

This page was last updated on 19 February 2025