Westminster Landlord Licensing Deadlines: When Each Scheme Starts, Ends and Renews
Westminster runs three overlapping licensing schemes with different start dates, different expiry dates and different renewal cycles. Missing a deadline does not just mean a late fee — it means operating an unlicensed property, which carries civil penalties of up to £40,000 and exposure to tenant rent repayment orders covering up to 24 months' rent.
The Three Scheme Timelines
Mandatory HMO licensing is a permanent national requirement with no expiry date. It has been in force since 6 April 2006 (expanded on 1 October 2018 to cover all properties with five or more occupants forming two or more households). There is no designation period and no renewal cycle at the scheme level — individual licences last up to five years and must be renewed before they expire.
Selective licensing covers 15 of Westminster's 18 wards under two designations. Both designations were decided on 24 June 2025, commenced on 24 November 2025 and run until 23 November 2030. Applications opened on 1 October 2025. The statutory maximum for a selective licensing designation is five years, so unless the council makes a fresh designation, the scheme ends automatically in November 2030.
Additional HMO licensing applies borough-wide across all 18 wards. The original 2021 scheme ran from 30 August 2021 to 30 August 2026. Westminster renewed the scheme: the 2026 designation took effect on 31 August 2026 and runs until 30 August 2031. Applications for the renewed scheme opened on 1 June 2026.
What Happened at the 2026 Renewal
When the additional HMO scheme renewed on 31 August 2026, licences granted under the 2021 scheme did not carry over. Every landlord with an additional HMO licence had to submit a fresh application for the new designation. The council opened an advance application window from 1 June to 30 August 2026 specifically for this purpose.
If a landlord submitted a complete application, paid Part A and received acknowledgement that it was "duly made" before 31 August 2026, the landlord was protected from prosecution for operating without a licence while the council assessed it — even though the old licence had expired and the new one had not yet been granted.
Landlords who missed that window and have not yet applied are currently operating unlicensed HMOs.
Individual Licence Expiry vs Scheme Expiry
An individual licence can expire before the scheme it was issued under. Licences are granted for up to five years but can be issued for shorter periods — and the licence term cannot extend beyond the scheme's designation period. A selective licence granted in January 2028 will expire no later than November 2030 when the selective scheme itself ends.
When a licence expires mid-scheme, the landlord must submit a renewal application (and pay the fees again) to maintain compliance for the remaining scheme period. The process is the same as a new application: Part A fee on submission, Part B on grant, full document upload.
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Key Dates at a Glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Selective licensing application window opened | 1 October 2025 |
| Selective licensing commenced (Designations 1 and 2) | 24 November 2025 |
| Additional HMO renewal application window opened | 1 June 2026 |
| Additional HMO 2021 scheme expired | 30 August 2026 |
| Additional HMO 2026 scheme commenced | 31 August 2026 |
| Selective licensing ends | 23 November 2030 |
| Additional HMO 2026 scheme ends | 30 August 2031 |
| Mandatory HMO licensing | Permanent — no end date |
What Happens When a Scheme Ends
If Westminster does not renew the selective licensing designation before November 2030, properties in the 15 designated wards that are not HMOs will no longer need a licence. Existing licences continue until their individual expiry dates but cannot be renewed once the scheme lapses.
The council would need to complete a fresh public consultation (minimum 10 weeks), satisfy the statutory conditions under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 and issue a new designation to extend selective licensing beyond 2030. There is no automatic rollover.
For additional HMO licensing, Westminster has already demonstrated the renewal pattern — the 2021 scheme was replaced by the 2026 scheme through a formal re-designation process.
Tracking Your Own Dates
The dates that matter for your property are the individual licence expiry (printed on the licence itself), the scheme end date (which caps how long your next licence can run) and any renewal application window the council publishes. The Westminster Landlord Licensing guide includes a renewal planning calendar to track all three.
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