Bolton Council has launched a consultation into plans for a borough-wide additional licensing scheme.

The council reports that the number of HMO licences has risen to 196 with a notable increase issued or renewed in recent years. Its report says that last year, the housing standards team received 74 service requests relating specifically to suspected unauthorised or unlicensed HMOs.

“This level of activity suggests that, while the licensed sector is sizeable and monitored, there may be a significant number of HMOs operating outside the mandatory licensing regime. These unlicensed properties may present heightened risks in relation to housing conditions, management standards, and tenant safety.”

It adds: “Evidence shows that a growing number of smaller HMOs are poorly managed or unsafe, creating risks for tenants and causing problems for local neighbourhoods.”

Complaints

In 2020, HMO-related complaints accounted for 142 cases, reports the council, but from 2023 onwards, there was a clear upward trend, with 227 HMO-related complaints, increasing sharply to 321 in 2024, and 611 during the first half of 2025.

It follows the introduction of an immediate Article 4 Direction preventing landlords in the town from converting family homes into HMOs last June. This sparked anger among the development sector which argued that authorities typically provide a year’s notice to allow developers and investors to adjust their plans, so they don’t incur big financial losses.

Drive

Cabinet member for adults and community housing, councillor Sean Fielding, says if agreed, he hopes that requiring HMOs to be licensed will drive unscrupulous HMO landlords out of town and improve the quality of those which do remain.

“However, the growth we’ve seen in HMOs locally is a sign of wider housing market failure which won’t be resolved until we build the homes we need, including many genuinely affordable homes that Bolton people can afford,” Fielding tells the Bolton News.

Under the proposals for an additional scheme, a licence would cost £1,211 per property and would last for five years.

The consultation runs until 19th April and more information can be found here: https://www.bolton.gov.uk/.../13/consultations/category/195

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