First-Time Landlord in Westminster: Which Licence You Need and How to Get Started

You have inherited a flat in Bayswater, or you have moved in with a partner and want to rent out your old place in Church Street, or you have bought a buy-to-let in Queen's Park. Whatever brought you here, the question is the same: do you need a licence to rent it out, and if so, how do you get one?

In Westminster the answer is almost certainly yes. The borough runs three licensing schemes that together cover nearly every privately rented property.

Step 1: Work Out Which Licence Applies

The licence you need depends on two things — how many people will live in the property and which ward it sits in.

Single lets and couples (1–2 occupants). If the property is in one of Westminster's 15 wards covered by selective licensing, you need a selective licence. This costs £995 total (£543 on application, £452 on grant). If the property is in one of the three exempt wards — Pimlico South, St James's or Vincent Square — no licence is required at this occupancy level.

Three or four occupants forming two or more households. The property is a House in Multiple Occupation under Westminster's additional HMO scheme, which applies borough-wide across all 18 wards. The fee is £1,540 (£855 + £685). This is common for sharers — three friends renting a flat together form three separate households.

Five or more occupants forming two or more households. Mandatory HMO licensing applies nationally. Same £1,540 fee structure.

To confirm which ward your property sits in, use Westminster's GIS address lookup tool — do not rely on postcodes, because ward boundaries do not follow postcode sectors neatly.

Step 2: Gather Your Documents Before You Start

Westminster uses an online-only application system. You cannot submit a paper form. Before you create an account on the MetaStreet portal, assemble these documents:

• Gas Safety Certificate (CP12): dated within the last 12 months, issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): dated within the last five years, no C1 or C2 defects, from a NICEIC or NAPIT qualified electrician
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): minimum E rating (unless the property has a valid exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register)
• Scaled floor plans: showing room dimensions in square metres — the council uses these to verify bedroom sizes meet statutory minimums
• Proof of identity for the proposed licence holder and any managing agent

If you live overseas, you cannot be named as the licence holder. You will need to appoint a UK-based representative and submit an Overseas Licence Holder Declaration.

Having everything ready before you start the application matters because Part A (the processing fee) is non-refundable. If you submit an incomplete application that is rejected, you lose £543 or £855.

Step 3: The Application Itself

The application runs through the MetaStreet portal. You will:

1. Look up the property address and confirm which scheme applies
2. Enter the details of all "interested parties" — mortgage lenders, freeholders, joint owners and managing agents — who must be formally notified before you submit
3. Complete a fit-and-proper-person self-declaration covering criminal history, discrimination, and housing law contraventions
4. Upload your documents as PDFs
5. Pay the Part A fee by debit or credit card

After submission, the council reviews your application. If everything is in order, you receive a draft licence decision. Part B is auto-debited from the card you provided, and the licence is issued.

Once your application is acknowledged as "duly made" (complete and valid), you are legally protected from prosecution for operating an unlicensed property while the council processes it. That protection starts at the "duly made" stage, not at the point you submit.

Common First-Time Mistakes

Applying for the wrong scheme. If your property has three unrelated tenants, you need an additional HMO licence — not a selective licence. The selective licence is cheaper, but applying for it when the property is an HMO does not provide compliance. You lose the Part A fee and have to start over.

Forgetting the interested parties notice. The application requires the names and addresses of mortgage lenders and freeholders. Declaring incomplete details can invalidate the application.

Ignoring planning consent. Westminster maintains a borough-wide Article 4 Direction that removes permitted development rights for converting a single dwelling (C3) into a small HMO (C4). Getting a licence does not grant planning permission — you may need both.

Assuming a company let is exempt. Letting to a corporate tenant does not exempt you from licensing. If the people actually living there meet the HMO thresholds, the property needs a licence regardless of who signed the tenancy.

Saving Money on Fees

Westminster offers discounts on the Part B portion of the fee:

• 10% for members of the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) or National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)
• 10% for properties with an EPC rating of C; 20% for B or above
• £125 off Part A for the second and subsequent applications submitted together for self-contained flats in the same freehold block, where ownership and management control are identical

These discounts stack. An accredited landlord with an EPC B rating applying for a selective licence can reduce the total from £995 to around £805. Discounts must be claimed at submission with supporting evidence — no retrospective claims.

The Ongoing Obligation

Getting the licence is not a one-off task. You must comply with the conditions attached to it for the full term — annual gas safety certificates, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, allowing council inspections, managing anti-social behaviour and keeping occupancy within the cap stated on the licence.

The Westminster Landlord Licensing guide walks through the entire process from ward check to application to ongoing compliance, with printable worksheets for document tracking, fee calculation and condition monitoring.

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