Bolton: mandatory HMO licensing and a proposed additional scheme
Bolton's mandatory HMO licence applies to five or more tenants from two or more households sharing facilities, regardless of storeys. The council displays a £893.67 fee for up to nine rooms and a maximum five-year term. A borough-wide additional scheme was consulted on in 2026, but its outcome was not confirmed as a live designation in the official material reviewed.
Mandatory licensing has no storey limit
Bolton's current licensing page covers HMOs with five or more tenants, two or more households and shared facilities, regardless of the number of storeys. It also includes certain purpose-built flats with up to two flats in the block where one or both are occupied by five or more people from two or more households.
Application evidence and appointment
The council asks applicants to contact Housing Standards to arrange an appointment. The evidence list includes identification, fire and emergency-lighting certificates, gas and electrical certificates, plans and PAT evidence. The displayed fee is £893.67 for up to nine rooms, plus £25.66 for each additional room.
The licence is not transferable
Bolton's maximum licence term is five years, although a shorter term may be granted. A licence does not transfer when a property is sold, so the new owner must apply. The public register has a displayed printed-copy charge of £31.21, and the council provides a confidential route for reporting an unlicensed HMO.
The extra charges are separate
The fee schedule also lists £204.95 for finding an unlicensed property owner and £20.90 each for a licensing reminder, inadequate application, inadequate certification or unsatisfactory or missing plans. Check the current schedule before assuming a charge applies to your case.
The 2026 additional scheme was only proposed
Bolton consulted from 2 February to 19 April 2026 on a proposed borough-wide additional licensing scheme for smaller HMOs with three or four occupants and certain converted buildings. The proposal displayed a £1,211 fee and five-year term if approved. The post-consultation outcome was not sufficiently confirmed, so do not treat either as current.
Planning and expired selective licensing
Bolton's 2008 selective licensing scheme is historical and expired. The council states that planning permission is required to convert a property into an HMO regardless of the number of occupants, and its confirmed Article 4 documents provide separate planning detail. A current local civil-penalty figure, prosecution wording, rent repayment order route and Temporary Exemption Notice route were not safely confirmed.
Verify current HMO fees, application evidence, register, proposed-scheme outcome and Article 4 documents via Bolton Council's official housing and planning pages. Illustrative guide - schemes and fees change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Selective licensing: 2008 scheme expired. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.