Westminster Selective Licensing Scheme starts on 24 November 2025

Monday, November 24th, 2025 - Westminster City Council

Date: Monday 24 November 2025

About: A selective licensing scheme comes into force in the City of Westminster on 24 November 2025 and will continue for five years. 

Selective licensing

Westminster’s selective licensing scheme will extend licensing to all private rented accommodation occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers in fifteen council wards.

The fifteen council wards covered by the new selective licensing designations are:

• Abbey Road
• Bayswater
• Church Street
• Harrow Road
• Hyde Park
• Knightsbridge and Belgravia
• Lancaster Gate
• Little Venice
• Maida Vale
• Marylebone
• Pimlico North
• Queen’s Park
• Regent’s Park
• West End
• Westbourne 

You can use a search facility on the council’s website to check if your property is within the selective licensing area.

Mandatory HMO licensing 

Most Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) occupied by five or more people already require licensing under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme that extends borough wide.   

Additional

Most HMOs occupied by three or more people that do not fall within scope of the mandatory HMO licensing scheme already require licensing under the additional licensing scheme that extends borough wide. The current scheme continues until August 2026. Westminster City Council are consulting on plans to renew this scheme for another five years. The consultation continues until 12 November 2025 and you can find out more information here.

How can I apply for a selective licence?

Westminster City Council started to accept selective licence applications on 1 October 2025. You can find out more information about the selective licensing scheme on the council’s website.

The direct link to the information about how to apply for a selective licence can be found here.

To accompany your licence application, the council have told us you will need to supply the following documents:

• Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable),
• Electrical Installation Condition Report, and
• Proof of licence holders address, if an individual.

How much will a selective licence application cost?

The selective licence application fee is £995 per property, payable in two instalments (Part A £543, Part B £452).

Fee discounts will also apply:

• Accreditation discount – a discount of £99.50 (10% of total fee) which is deducted from the Part B fee.

• Energy efficiency discount – a discount of £45.20 (10% of Part B fee) for properties with an EPC Band C rating and a discount of £90.40 (20% of Part B fee) for properties with an EPC Band A or B rating.

• Multiple dwelling discount – for multiple applications in the same building, the same ownership and made at the same time. The discount is £125 per application.

• Charities – a 100% discount for registered charities if they provide accommodation solely for vulnerable persons such as night shelters and for people fleeing domestic violence. A licence application must still be made.

The full schedule of fees can be viewed on the council’s website. 

Looking for more information?

Westminster City Council is organising a serious of webinars and drop in sessions where you can find out more information about the selective licensing scheme. Full details can be found on the council’s website. 

A useful video explaining how to complete a selective licence application can be found here and a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be found here. 

If after studying all that information you still have questions, you can contact the council by email: propertylicensing@westminster.gov.uk.

Risks of non-compliance

Landlords and letting / managing agents that fail to comply with the new scheme risk prosecution in the Magistrates Court or a civil financial penalty of up to £30,000 per property. Other sanctions include Rent Repayment Orders, inability to issue a section 21 notice and an entry in the Mayor of London’s Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker. You can design out those risks by submitting your licence application before the scheme starts on 23 November 2025. 

London Property Licensing has published a free guide with more information about property licensing and HMO planning rules in the City of Westminster, available here.