Additional HMO licensing · Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2026 (council page name: Additional licensing scheme renewal)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 31 August 2026 to 30 August 2031
- Designated
- 21 April 2026
- Fee
- £1,540 for an HMO with up to five bedrooms, paid in two parts: £855 when you apply and £685 when the licence is granted. Each letting above five adds £68. Accredited landlords get 10% off. An EPC of B or above takes 20% off the second part, and an EPC of C takes 10% off it. Registered charities that house only vulnerable people pay nothing but still have to apply. Accredited landlords lose their discount if the council finds the HMO unlicensed before they apply.
- Applies to
- Every HMO in Westminster let to three or more people from two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet and that doesn't need a mandatory licence, including shared flats in purpose-built blocks and bedsits. Exempt: converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs), HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption, and buildings the law says aren't HMOs, such as some student halls and a home shared by its owner and up to two lodgers.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
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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