Westminster City Council is to hugely expand its property licensing with a selective scheme that will cover 15 of the borough’s 18 wards and means thousands of landlords will be required to obtain licences for their rental properties.

The scheme will apply to all privately rented properties other than Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are already covered under existing mandatory and additional licensing schemes, says Councillor Matt Noble (pictured).

Concerns ignored

The Council ignored concerns raised by Westminster Property Association during the consultation process. These included pointing out that the potential duplication of the council’s plans with the incoming national landlord registration scheme.

The association also warned that the additional regulatory burden could lead to landlords exiting the market, reducing the already short supply of rental properties.

The new scheme is yet another example of Westminster’s aggressive approach to housing regulation, with the Labour-run authority already pursuing policies that include attempts to commandeer the borough’s 11,000 empty properties and the banning of estate agency boards.

The Selective Licensing Scheme is about supporting responsible landlords.”

Noble says: “The selective licensing Scheme is about supporting responsible landlords and ensuring that every resident in Westminster has access to safe, secure, and well-maintained housing”.

There are, Westminster claims, over 6,700 privately rented properties in the borough that have serious hazards, which includes 43% of properties in the private rented sector – one of the highest ratios in London.

Fee per property

Landlords will now typically be required to pay a fee of £995 per property, which will be split into two parts. There are various discounts, though, including 10% for accredited landlords, 20% for properties with EPC ratings of B or above and a £125 reduction for multiple leaseholds within the same freehold.

And, for those who refuse to comply, Westminster has an extensive track record of issuing heavy fines. According to its own records, it has served approximately 1,369 statutory notices to landlords over the last five years and, since it implemented its HMO licensing scheme in 2021, it has issued 49 penalties.