LetLens / Licensing by council / Westminster
Landlord licensing in Westminster
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Westminster let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Westminster also runs additional HMO licensing and selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. A replacement additional HMO licensing designation has already been made and is due to start from 31 August 2026.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not a Westminster decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£1,540 for a 5-bedroom HMO£1540 base + £68/unit over 5
WhereEverywhere in Westminster, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Westminster requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needAdditional HMO licence In force
It costs£1,540 for a 4-bedroom HMO£1540 base + £68/unit over 5
WhereEverywhere in Westminster. Scope, fee schedule and source
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needSelective licence In force
It costs£995, the same for a rental of any size
Where15 designated wards, not the whole of Westminster. Scope, fee schedule and source
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open W1K 6TD, a postcode near the centre of Westminster, to see what a full report looks like.
What changes next in Westminster
Already decided, not yet in force. A property bought today is bought into these, so they matter more than the current position if you are still choosing.
- Additional HMO licensing designation31 August 2026Renewal - Westminster City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of HMOs 2026. Made but not in force yet, so it does not apply today.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Westminster, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£1,540£1540 base + £68/unit over 5
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more households (mandatory HMO licensing under s55/s254 Housing Act 2004, Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018). Applies borough-wide.
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,540
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £855 on application, then £685 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £68 per unit above 5
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 1 April 2025
Discounts
- London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) accredited landlord - 10% of licence fee: £0
- EPC rating C - 10% off Part B: £0
- EPC rating B or above - 20% off Part B: £0
- Registered charity providing accommodation solely for vulnerable persons - exempt (no fee): £0
Additional HMO licensing In force
Fee, 4-bed HMO£1,540£1540 base + £68/unit over 5
- Where it applies
- Council-wide
- Which properties
- All HMOs as defined by section 254 Housing Act 2004 occupied by 3 or more persons comprising 2 or more households, and section 257 HMOs (converted blocks of flats) where less than two-thirds of the self-contained flats are owner-occupied, that are NOT required to be licensed as mandatory HMOs. Excludes buildings in Schedule 14, HMOs under a Management Order or temporary exemption, and specified small s257 conversions.
- Designations in force
- Westminster City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2021
- Designation period
- 30 August 2021 to 31 August 2026
- Proposed
- Renewal - Westminster City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of HMOs 2026
The published fee schedule, identical to the mandatory scheme’s
- Base fee
- £1,540
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £855 on application, then £685 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £68 per unit above 5
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 1 April 2025
Discounts
- London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) accredited landlord - 10% of licence fee: £0
- EPC rating C - 10% off Part B: £0
- EPC rating B or above - 20% off Part B: £0
- Registered charity providing accommodation solely for vulnerable persons - exempt (no fee): £0
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£995
- Where it applies
- 15 designated wards
- Which properties
- Any house let or occupied under a single tenancy, or 2 or more tenancies/licences of different dwellings within it, in the designated wards, unless it is a mandatory HMO, an additional-licensable HMO under the 2021 designation, RSL-let, subject to a Management Order or temporary exemption, or otherwise statutorily exempt. Designation 1 targets areas of poor housing conditions.
- Designations in force
- Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 1
Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 2 - Designation period
- 24 November 2025 to 23 November 2030
24 November 2025 to 23 November 2030
Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 1 covers Abbey Road, Church Street, Harrow Road, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Queen's Park, Westbourne.
Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 2 covers Bayswater, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate, Marylebone, Pimlico North, Regent's Park, West End.
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £995
- Paid in two parts
- £543 on application, then £452 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 24 November 2025
Discounts
- LLAS accredited landlord - 10% of total fee (GBP 99.50), deducted from Part B: £99.50
- EPC rating B or above - 20% of Part B (GBP 90.40): £90.40
- EPC rating C - 10% of Part B (GBP 45.20): £45.20
- Multiple leaseholds within the same freehold (per additional property, submitted together): £125
- Registered charity providing accommodation solely for vulnerable persons - 100% exempt (GBP 995): £995
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Westminster None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Westminster, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in Westminster multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Westminster
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£1,124 pcmFrom 270 room listings in Westminster.
- Median whole-property rent£2,737 pcmFrom 213 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£4,392 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+28%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£683,330Across 335 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.8%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO9.9%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£55,335Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure11.0%1,438 of 13,082 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 31,405 (10.7%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Postcode districts in Westminster
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 13,082 Westminster postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Westminster?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Westminster let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Westminster also runs additional HMO licensing and selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. A replacement additional HMO licensing designation has already been made and is due to start from 31 August 2026. Additional HMO licensing applies across the whole council. Selective licensing covers 15 designated wards.
How much does an HMO licence cost in Westminster?
£1,540 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £1540 base + £68/unit over 5. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Westminster?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Westminster, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
Which wards in Westminster are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 1 covers Abbey Road, Church Street, Harrow Road, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Queen's Park, Westbourne. Selective licensing under Westminster City Council Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 No. 2 covers Bayswater, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate, Marylebone, Pimlico North, Regent's Park, West End. A designation can cover only part of a named ward, so check the exact address rather than relying on the ward name alone.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Westminster?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
About Westminster
Westminster is a local housing authority in London, with a population of about 270,000 and 13,082 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact Westminster
Westminster licensing team · [email protected] · 020 7641 6161