Additional HMO licensing · Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2021
- Status
- Ended
- Dates
- 30 August 2021 to 30 August 2026
- Designated
- 21 April 2021
- Fee
- When the scheme ended the fee was £1,540 for an HMO with up to five bedrooms (£855 and £685), plus £68 for each letting above five.
- Applies to
- HMOs across Westminster let to three or more people from two or more households that didn't need a mandatory licence. The 2021 designation also named converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) where less than two thirds of the flats were owner-occupied, but the council says it removed them from the scheme after a review in September 2021.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Westminster City Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
Westminster City Council also runs its own address-level lookup: check whether a specific address falls inside the scheme.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you hold a licence here, HouseFile can track its renewal date
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