Let Only is a one-time service at £650* that takes your Manchester property from marketing through to a fully signed, deposit-protected tenancy with the keys handed to your new tenant. We handle the property listing on Rightmove and Zoopla, conduct accompanied viewings (including evenings), formally reference applicants, prepare ARLA-compliant tenancy contracts, complete Right-to-Rent checks, register the deposit with a recognised scheme, and produce a full photographic inventory at move-in. After tenancy commencement, day-to-day management transfers to you.
Most landlords who choose Let Only are confident handling rent collection, inspections, and tenant communication directly — but want the legal, regulatory, and contractual setup done properly from day one.
* Let only fee is one month’s rent, subject to a minimum fee of £650
Let Only is the most complete one-time letting service we offer. It begins with valuation and marketing and ends at tenancy commencement — with every regulatory, contractual, and operational task in between handled by our team.
These are all included in our Full Management service for landlords who want them.
The distinction matters because Let Only is structured around a clean handover. Once the tenant moves in, the relationship between you and the tenant is direct — including monthly rent payments, repair conversations, and any issues that arise during the tenancy. We’re available afterwards if you need us, but the tenancy itself is yours to manage.
Manchester’s HMO regulation has three overlapping layers: the national Housing Act 2004, Manchester City Council’s Article 4 directions, and the council’s Selective Licensing scheme. Each layer triggers different obligations. Understanding which apply to your property is the first conversation we have with every new HMO client.
Applies to any property let to five or more occupants forming two or more households (with shared kitchen, bathroom, or toilet facilities). Required regardless of postcode. Licence valid for up to five years. Includes amenity standards, fire safety requirements, and "fit and proper person" tests for the licence holder.
Manchester City Council operates an Additional Licensing scheme covering smaller HMOs (typically 3–4 occupants) in designated wards including parts of Fallowfield, Withington, Rusholme, Longsight, and Old Moat. Where Additional Licensing applies, the same licensing requirements as mandatory HMOs are imposed. Failing to apply where required is the most common HMO compliance failure we encounter when landlords switch to us from other agents.
Article 4 directions remove "permitted development rights" — meaning that converting a regular family home (Use Class C3) into a small HMO (Use Class C4) requires full planning permission rather than simply notifying the council. Most of South Manchester's high-yield postcodes are now covered by Article 4. Any property purchased as an HMO in these areas needs a Lawful Use Certificate or planning consent — without it, the council can require reversion to family-home use, destroying the yield basis of the investment.
Most HMO landlords who instruct us are unsure which of these layers applies to their property.
The first question we answer is precisely that — postcode-by-postcode, not in general.
HMO Management at Railton-Meeks covers every element of operating a House in Multiple Occupation — from the regulatory groundwork through to day-to-day room management, with the strategic specialism that distinguishes a profitable HMO investment from a compliance disaster. Below is a complete breakdown of what’s included.
A well-managed HMO in the right Manchester postcode can produce 60–100% more gross yield than the same property let on a single AST. That premium is the strategic foundation of every HMO investment — and protecting it is the strategic foundation of HMO management.
The 2026 regulatory shift has tightened the gap between profitable HMOs and unprofitable ones. The 5% Stamp Duty surcharge on second homes, the April 2027 2% property income tax hike, and the rising cost of compliance documentation mean that the margin for poor management has shrunk substantially. HMO landlords who managed properties casually in 2018 are losing money in 2026.
Our HMO Yield Optimisation work covers four areas: ensuring every room is rented at the current market rate (not at the rate set when the tenancy began three years ago); ensuring void periods between room tenancies are minimised through staggered re-marketing; ensuring the property’s amenity offering — broadband, communal furnishing, kitchen quality — supports the rent being asked; and ensuring the landlord’s underlying tax structure (incorporation versus personal ownership, income versus capital strategy) is reviewed against current legislation.
We don’t provide tax advice ourselves, but we work alongside our landlords’ accountants to surface the operational decisions that affect their tax position.
HMO regulation in 2026 sits at the intersection of multiple statutory frameworks — and the enforcement environment has hardened materially in the last twenty-four months. Civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence are now actively pursued by Manchester City Council’s housing enforcement team, not held in reserve.
The current compliance picture for any Manchester HMO operator includes:
Each of these creates documentation, deadline, and operational obligations. We track them all on behalf of our HMO clients so you don’t have to.
HMO regulation, yield, and tenant demand vary materially by Manchester postcode. We focus our HMO management work on the corridors where the operational and commercial fundamentals support a strong investment — and where we have the deepest local knowledge from twenty years of working in those streets specifically.
The historic core of Manchester’s student HMO market. Strong year-round demand from University of Manchester, MMU, and Royal Northern College of Music students, supplemented by graduate and professional sharers. Article 4 covers most of the area, meaning new HMO conversions require planning consent. Existing HMOs with established Lawful Use Certificates command a premium because the supply pipeline is now constrained.
Increasingly the destination for postgraduate, NHS-clinical, and young-professional sharers priced out of Fallowfield. Article 4 applies in Withington. Particularly strong for 4-bed and 5-bed HMOs at the higher quality end of the market.
Premium HMO market — typically professional sharers in their late 20s and early 30s rather than students. Higher per-room rents, lower turnover, longer tenancies. Article 4 covers the Withington-bordering parts of the postcode. Operationally less intensive than M14 student HMOs but with stricter expectations on property condition.
Smaller HMO market reflecting Chorlton’s predominantly family-home character, but with growing professional-share demand around the Beech Road and Wilbraham Road corridors. Article 4 applies. Higher entry costs reflected in higher per-room rent ceiling.
HMO opportunities are limited in the city core because most multi-let property is purpose-built apartment stock with HMO designations applied at building level rather than dwelling level. We handle a small number of city-centre HMOs but most of our client portfolios sit in the M14–M21 corridor.
| Service Feature | Tenant Finder | Tenant Finder Plus | Let Only | Fully Managed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup & Marketing | ||||
| Rental valuation & legislation advice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advice on achieving highest rent | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Safety certificates & compliance | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| To Let board | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online portal advertising (Rightmove, Zoopla) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proactive marketing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tenant Onboarding | ||||
| Accompanied viewings (including evenings) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contracts & inventory preparation | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tenant referencing | — | — | £25 per person | £25 per person |
| Right to Rent checks | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deposit administration | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Council tax liaison | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full photographic inventory (setup) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ongoing Management | ||||
| Rent collection | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly rent payments to landlord | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full management statement | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Property inspections (twice yearly) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Utilities administration | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Preparing property for re-let | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Strategic Advice | ||||
| Trades, investment & HMO advice | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing | ||||
| Setup fee | £250one-time | £350one-time | £650*one-time | No setup fee |
| Ongoing management | — | — | — | 14.5%of rent received |
| Re-letting fee | — | — | £250 | £250 |
| Service Feature | Tenant Finder | Tenant Finder Plus | Let Only | Fully Managed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup & Marketing | ||||
| Rental valuation & legislation advice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advice on achieving highest rent | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Safety certificates & compliance | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| To Let board | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online portal advertising (Rightmove, Zoopla) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proactive marketing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tenant Onboarding | ||||
| Accompanied viewings (including evenings) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contracts & inventory preparation | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tenant referencing | — | — | £25 per person | £25 per person |
| Right to Rent checks | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deposit administration | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Council tax liaison | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full photographic inventory (setup) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ongoing Management | ||||
| Rent collection | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly rent payments to landlord | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full management statement | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Property inspections (twice yearly) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Utilities administration | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Preparing property for re-let | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Strategic Advice | ||||
| Trades, investment & HMO advice | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing | ||||
| Setup fee | £250one-time | £350one-time | £650*one-time | No setup fee |
| Ongoing management | — | — | — | 14.5%of rent received |
| Re-letting fee | — | — | £250 | £250 |
£250 one-time setup
£350 one-time setup
£650* one-time setup
14.5% of rent received
* Let only fee is one month’s rent, subject to a minimum fee of £650
All fees are exclusive of VAT. Tenant referencing at £25 per person covers credit, employment, and previous landlord checks for each named applicant. The £150 re-letting fee on Let Only and Fully Managed properties covers full re-marketing when an existing tenancy ends and a new tenant is required.
Twenty years of landlord referrals. ARLA-qualified throughout. Compliance-first by design.
The benefits a portfolio landlord notices in the first six months of working with us:
The questions Manchester HMO landlords ask before instructing us.
HMO management fees are calculated property-specifically because the workload varies materially by occupancy count, licensing tier, and property condition. As a rough guide, fees are typically a percentage of rent received — comparable to but slightly above the 14.5% Full Management rate, reflecting the additional licensing, compliance, and per-room operational work involved. Speak to Tara directly for a tailored quote.
Mandatory HMO Licensing is national — it applies to any HMO with five or more occupants forming two or more households, regardless of where the property is located. Additional Licensing is council-specific — Manchester City Council operates a scheme covering smaller HMOs (typically 3–4 occupants) in designated wards including parts of Fallowfield, Withington, Rusholme, Longsight, and Old Moat. Both impose the same operational requirements once they apply.
Article 4 directions remove "permitted development rights" — meaning that converting a regular family home (Use Class C3) into a small HMO (Use Class C4) requires full planning permission rather than just informal notification. Most South Manchester HMO postcodes are covered by Article 4. We can verify whether your property's address is covered as the first step of any new instruction.
If your property was operating as an HMO before the relevant Article 4 direction came into force, it may have established Lawful Use rights — meaning planning permission is not required. A Lawful Use Certificate from the council formalises and protects those rights. We strongly recommend any HMO landlord in an Article 4 area applies for one if they don't already have it. We handle the application end-to-end.
Sui Generis is a planning use class for HMOs with seven or more occupants — beyond the C4 small-HMO use class. Sui Generis status requires full planning consent rather than C4 designation. The transition between C4 and Sui Generis is one of the most common compliance trip-points for landlords adding rooms to existing HMOs. We handle the applications and ongoing compliance documentation.
Up to £30,000 per offence under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, plus rent repayment orders requiring the landlord to repay up to twelve months of rent received during the unlicensed period. Manchester City Council's housing enforcement team actively pursues these — we have first-hand experience of the enforcement environment and the documentation required to defend or remediate cases when they arise.
Both, depending on the property's positioning and target tenant market. Bills-inclusive (where rent covers gas, electricity, water, broadband, and council tax) is more common for student and lower-end professional HMOs because it simplifies the tenant decision and supports a higher headline price. Bills-excluded is more common in premium professional HMOs in M20 where tenants prefer to manage their own utility relationships. We advise on the right model for each property.
The Renters' Rights Act applies to HMO tenancies as much as to single-let ASTs — periodic tenancies, abolition of Section 21, and mandatory tenant notifications by 31 May 2026 apply equally. The HMO licensing framework remains separate. In practical terms, an HMO landlord in 2026 has two parallel compliance frameworks operating simultaneously: licensing (Housing Act 2004) and tenancy (Renters' Rights Act 2026). We manage both as part of our HMO Management service.
Yes. The EPC Grade C minimum-rating requirement applies to all rental properties from 2030, including HMOs. Older HMO conversions in Victorian terraced housing — particularly common in M14 and M19 — frequently rate D or E and will need upgrade work to meet Grade C. We provide retrofit roadmaps as part of our service, identifying the specific insulation, heating, and glazing upgrades likely required for each property.
Yes, and we do this regularly. The transition involves tenancy documentation transfer, deposit re-registration, certificate retrieval, licensing review (often the trigger for the switch in the first place), and individual introductions to each existing tenant. Most HMO transitions complete within three to four weeks. We work directly with the outgoing agent to ensure no service disruption to tenants and no rent collection gap for the landlord.
Every HMO Management instruction begins with a property-specific conversation — typically with Tara directly, often at the property itself. She’ll review your licensing position, your Article 4 status, your current yield, and your operational setup, and give you a clear, honest view of where the gaps and opportunities are.
The conversation costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and is genuinely useful regardless of who ends up managing the property.
