Salford · Compliance hub
Salford landlord compliance 2026
- Council areas
- 1 covered in detail
- Schemes designated
- 3
- Council
- Official page
- Selective areas
- 2 designationsEccles / Barton / Winton and Broughton / Kersal
- S257 additional
- 24 Nov 2026citywide, runs to 24 Nov 2031
- Mandatory HMO
- 5+ occupantsnational threshold, citywide
- Unlicensed penalty
- Up to £40,000civil penalty, or prosecution
Local licensing
What is designated in Salford
Schemes run for a fixed period and are redesignated, widened or dropped. Confirm the current position with Salford City Council before you let a property.
Selective licensing in designated areas
Selective licensingAnyone who owns or manages a property inside a selective licensing area must apply. The council grants the licence only if the property is in the designated area, the proposed holder is a fit and proper person and the most appropriate person to hold it, the manager is fit and proper, and the management standards are satisfactory. Licensed properties appear on the public register and the council’s interactive map.
Citywide section 257 additional licensing from 24 November 2026
Additional licensingEvery building converted into self-contained flats where the conversion does not fully meet the relevant Building Regulations standard and fewer than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied must be licensed, unless a statutory exemption applies. The scheme runs five years and all licences end on 24 November 2031.
Mandatory HMO licensing
Mandatory HMOThe national scheme applies across Salford: five or more occupants forming two or more households. The council grants a licence only where the HMO suits the maximum number of occupants allowed, the holder and the manager are fit and proper, and management standards are satisfactory.
National duties
The duties that apply in Salford whatever the council does
A licence sits on top of these, it does not replace them. Renewal cycles and maximum penalties are the same everywhere in England; the council is the body that enforces them locally.
| Duty | Renewal | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Gas SafetyGas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 | Every 12 months | Unlimited fine + up to 2 years in prison |
| EICRElectrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 | Every 5 years | £40,000 per property |
| EPCEnergy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 | Every 10 years / on new tenancy | £5,000 per property |
| DepositHousing Act 2004, as amended by the Localism Act 2011 | 30 days from receipt | 1-3× deposit as damages |
| Right to RentImmigration Act 2014, amended by Immigration Act 2016 | Before tenancy starts | Up to £20,000 per occupant |
| Section 8Housing Act 1988, s.8 (as amended by Renters’ Rights Act 2025) | When seeking possession | Possession refused if compliance missing |
| RRA 2025Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Royal Assent 27 Oct 2025; principal commencement 1 May 2026) | Phase-in from 1 May 2026 | £7,000 → £40,000 (serious/repeat) + unlimited criminal |
Each row links to the full duty: what it obliges you to do, what happens when it is missed and how to stay on top of it. Read the national guide.
If you get it wrong
What letting without a licence costs
These are statutory rather than local. Salford City Council can use all three, and a tenant can bring the second one without the council being involved at all.
- Civil penalty
- Up to £40,000Imposed by the council itself, without a prosecution. Serious or repeated breaches sit at the top of the range.
- Rent Repayment Order
- Up to 2 years’ rentThe tenant, or the council, applies to the First-tier Tribunal to have rent paid back. Separate from the penalty above, not instead of it.
- Prosecution
- Unlimited fineLetting an unlicensed HMO, or breaching a licence condition, is a criminal offence and can be prosecuted rather than penalised.
By council
Ward and council breakdown in Salford
Licensing, Article 4 status and enforcement change street by street. These pages carry the scheme, the typical fee and the council's own checker.
Local enforcement
How Salford enforces it
The rules are national. How hard they are enforced, and on what, is not.
Unlicensed letting is a criminal offence here, and the council says so first
Salford states plainly that operating a licensable property without a licence can lead to prosecution or a financial penalty of up to £40,000. The council also publishes a licensing map and public register, which makes an unlicensed property easy to spot from the outside.
Two live consultations to watch
The council is consulting on a citywide additional HMO licensing proposal covering section 257 HMOs, and on a selective licensing proposal in Broughton and Kersal. Designations change on consultation outcomes, so check the licensing page before you buy in Salford.
Key dates
What is coming between now and 2030
The part a council website will not tell you. Each of these lands on every landlord in England, including here.
- 1 May 2026Renters’ Rights Act in forceSection 21 abolished, all tenancies become periodic, rent rises go through Section 13 once a year.
- 6 Apr 2026MTD for Income Tax beginsMandatory digital quarterly reporting for landlords with £50k+ qualifying income.
- 15 Dec 2026PRS Database opensRegistration opens, West Midlands first. Each region then has three months, with the last deadline on 14 November 2027. £65 a property a year.
- 6 Apr 2027MTD threshold drops to £30kMore landlords pulled into digital quarterly tax reporting.
- 6 Apr 2028MTD threshold drops to £20kMost portfolio landlords now inside MTD ITSA.
- 1 Oct 2030EPC C required (MEES)Every privately rented home in England must reach EPC band C or register a valid exemption.
FAQs
Salford landlords: the questions we get
Do I need a licence to rent out a house in Salford?
If the property is inside one of the selective licensing areas, yes, whether or not it is an HMO. The designated areas are in Eccles, Barton and Winton, and in Broughton, Kersal and Broughton Park. Outside those areas, a licence is needed only if the property is an HMO.
What changes in Salford on 24 November 2026?
A citywide additional HMO licensing scheme starts, covering section 257 HMOs: buildings converted into self-contained flats where the conversion does not fully meet the Building Regulations standard and fewer than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied. It runs for five years, to 24 November 2031.
What happens if I let an unlicensed property in Salford?
It is a criminal offence. The council can prosecute, or impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000, and a tenant can separately apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years’ rent.
Run a let through it
Every Salford let from one login
The licence and certificate dates are the start. LetCompliance advertises the property, references the tenant, signs the tenancy, collects the rent, chases the arrears, runs the repairs and prepares the tax, with the compliance score alongside. Free for one property, no card needed.
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