Landlord licensing - Houses in Multiple Occupation

​Landlords in the borough of Rochdale must obtain a HMO licence from Rochdale Borough Council if they operate a House in Multiple Occupation.

Mandatory licence: the property 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more households.

Additional licence: the property has 3 or more unrelated occupants forming 2 or more households.

• Read the housing standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

We've created new online forms to help you apply for a HMO licence. We hope these forms will make things easier, quicker and more accessible for everyone.

We're always looking to improve our services and you can leave any feedback you have at the end of the form.

To apply for a HMO licence:

1. Complete a HMO licence - register fit and proper persons form.
2. Make a note of the reference number emailed to you after you submit the fit and proper persons' form. You'll need this to complete the application form.
3. Complete a HMO licence - make an application form.

A licence will normally last for 5 years but in certain circumstances a licence can be granted for a shorter period.

The cost of a 5 year licence is: £1,011 plus £53 inspection fee per habitable room.

Example of how a licence fee could work. The example below shows the cost of a HMO with:

• 8 bedrooms - classed as habitable rooms 
• 1 communal kitchen
• 1 communal lounge - classed as a habitable room
• 1 communal dining room - classed as a habitable room
• 2 bath or shower rooms
• ​2 separate water closets

There are 10 habitable rooms as indicated.

The costs are broken down as follows:

1. The standard application fee is £1,011.
2. The inspection fee of 10 habitable rooms at £53 each totals £530.
3. The total fee for 5 years is £1,541 - this is the standard application fee plus the total inspection fee. This would work out at £308.20 per year.      

 ​​What if my licence is refused?

1. We ask you to contact us using the contact details on this page, initially to try and resolve the issue.
2. If you feel the council has acted unfairly by failing to grant, revoking or imposing certain sanctions on your licence, you can appeal to the Residential Property Tribunal (RPT).
   
   The RPT is an expert independent tribunal that will act instead of the county court to either overturn or confirm the council’s decision. The RPT cannot award costs unless it is found that one party acted unreasonably.​ How to solve a residential property dispute.

Contact the team