Student housing

The reason some types of shared house have to be licensed is to make sure that the house is safe for you to live in.  To find out if your house needs to be licensed consider the following questions:

• Are there five or more of you sharing the house?
  
• Is the property three or more storeys (including attic or basement if you use them as part of the house, e.g. storage, laundry or letting)?
  
• Do you share any of the facilities (such as the toilet, bathroom, kitchen or laundry)?

If you answered yes to all of the above, then your property requires a mandatory Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence.  Manchester City Council will work with your landlord to check the house is safe for you to live in, and will not give them a license until they are sure it is.

How will I know if my property has a licence?

• A copy of the licence should be displayed within the property. 
  
• You can contact the Council, who keeps a public register of licences.  To view the information held on the register you can visit Manchester Advice, through the new customer service centre at One First Street, M15 4FN .  The centre is open between 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

What if my landlord does not apply for a licence?

• This is a criminal offence, and your landlord could be fined up to £20,000.
  
• If your landlord is prosecuted, you can apply to the Residential Property Tribunal to reclaim your rent

What happens if my landlord breaches the terms and conditions of the licence?

• Any breach of the licence, including allowing more people to occupy the property than the licence states, is a criminal offence.
• They could be fined up to £5,000.

For all Council services including Manchester Advice and private housing or tenancy issues tel. 0161 234 5000 or visit http://www.manchester.gov.uk/housing

For specific HMO Compliance enquiries, please call 0161 277 1999.