Manchester HMO Lessons from 2025

Manchester HMO lessons from 2025 are best understood through what happened in practice rather than in policy announcements. As the year comes to a close, it’s worth reflecting on how HMOs were actually managed across Greater Manchester — where scrutiny increased and judgement mattered more than process.

For many landlords, this wasn’t a year of expansion. It was a year of managing compliance risk, navigating council scrutiny, and ensuring properties were run properly in a tightening regulatory environment.

We manage HMOs across multiple Greater Manchester boroughs and spend a significant amount of time dealing directly with local authority officers. Based on the real situations we dealt with throughout 2025, three clear lessons stand out.

Key Manchester HMO Lessons from 2025

Lesson 1: Compliance is no longer a static checklist — it requires ongoing judgement

One of the strongest themes from 2025 was that HMO compliance is no longer something you “set and forget”.

We regularly spoke to landlords who believed they were compliant, only to find that:

  • Council expectations had evolved
  • Historic advice no longer aligned with current enforcement
  • Licensing, planning, and Article 4 were still being conflated

Properties that had operated without issue for years were being reviewed against current standards, not past assumptions.

One of the realities of managing HMOs in Greater Manchester is that each council applies standards differently, and outcomes often depend on how issues are handled rather than the issue itself.

The lesson:
 Compliance now requires periodic review and interpretation, not just a one-off exercise. What matters is how rules are being enforced now, by that council, not how they were applied historically.

Lesson 2: Constructive engagement with councils can materially change outcomes

One of the things that worked particularly well in 2025 was early, persistent, and professional engagement with local councils — especially where complaints, licensing changes, or administrative issues had the potential to escalate unnecessarily.

Several situations highlighted this clearly:

  • In Bolton, a tenant submitted multiple complaints directly to the council, including to Environmental Health, and formally requested that the property’s HMO licence be revoked. Rather than allowing the situation to become adversarial, we set out a clear, evidence-led response addressing each point raised. After reviewing the facts, the council backed the landlord’s position and closed the complaint with no further action.
  • In Rochdale, the sudden introduction of additional HMO licensing led to an initial decision not to grant a licence based on space standards. Instead of accepting a straight refusal or losing rentable rooms, we worked constructively with the council to identify a practical, compliant solution. By engaging early and openly, and demonstrating how the property could meet the intent of the standards, a way forward was agreed that achieved compliance without reducing the number of lettable rooms.
  • In Salford, multiple HMO tenants unexpectedly received council tax bills and summonses despite the properties being correctly assessed. Standard contact routes proved ineffective, while tenants understandably became anxious about enforcement action. In those cases, we attended the council offices in person on behalf of landlords to ensure the issue was reviewed and corrected.

In each case, our role was to act as a buffer — ensuring concerns were dealt with properly, while preventing unnecessary escalation or direct pressure on the landlord.

Outcomes improved because the approach was:

  • Calm and factual
  • Evidence-based
  • Persistent where necessary
  • Focused on resolution rather than confrontation

The lesson:
 Councils are not just enforcement bodies — they are stakeholders. When issues arise, experienced management that is prepared to engage properly, stand firm on the facts, and look for workable solutions can materially reduce risk, cost, and stress for both landlords and tenants.

This approach will become even more important as complaint handling and evidential standards tighten under future regulation.

Lesson 3: Early, objective advice can prevent disproportionate risk and cost

While most of 2025 involved routine property management, we were occasionally approached by landlords considering HMO conversions that, once assessed properly, were not viable under Article 4 restrictions.

In those cases, the right advice was not how to proceed — but whether to proceed at all.

Although these situations were not common, they highlighted the value of:

  • Stress-testing assumptions early
  • Taking a step back before committing to cost
  • Prioritising risk reduction over momentum

The lesson:
 The most valuable advice isn’t reactive. It’s the advice that stops the wrong decision before money is spent.

What These Lessons Mean for 2026

From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Bill will introduce further changes to how rented property is managed. While much of the legislation is already known, its real impact will be felt in day-to-day processes and decision-making.

Landlords should expect:

  • Greater emphasis on fairness, consistency, and evidence
  • Less tolerance for informal arrangements or weak records
  • Increased scrutiny of how issues are handled, not just whether they are handled

The direction of travel is clear: strong systems, sound judgement, and credible engagement will matter more than ever.

How We’ll Be Supporting Landlords Going Into 2026

Our focus isn’t to alarm landlords — it’s to protect them through preparation.

As we move into 2026, we’ll be:

  • Reviewing management processes in light of the Renters’ Rights Bill
  • Strengthening documentation around tenancies, maintenance, and communication
  • Continuing proactive, professional engagement with councils
  • Intervening decisively where administrative or enforcement errors risk impacting tenants or landlords unfairly
  • Helping landlords understand what has genuinely changed — and what has not

The aim is simple: reduce exposure, avoid unnecessary conflict, and help landlords remain compliant without overreacting.

Final Thoughts

2025 was a challenging year for HMO landlords, but it was also a revealing one. It showed where systems were strong, where assumptions needed revisiting, and where the right approach could materially improve outcomes.

If you’re managing an HMO in Manchester and want a second pair of eyes on how exposed you are going into 2026 — particularly around complaints, licensing, or council engagement — that’s exactly the kind of conversation we have day to day.

Our focus remains the same: helping landlords operate compliantly, sustainably, and with fewer surprises as the regulatory landscape continues to tighten.