Since 24 November 2025, most private landlords in Westminster must hold a selective licence. If yours doesn't, you could claim back the rent you paid while it was unlicensed through a Rent Repayment Order, up to a 2-year maximum, with the rent paid before 1 May 2026 capped at 12 months.
Which Westminster wards are covered by selective licensing?
15 of Westminster's 18 wards now require landlords to be licensed:
- Abbey Road
- Bayswater
- Church Street
- Harrow Road
- Hyde Park
- Knightsbridge & Belgravia
- Lancaster Gate
- Little Venice
- Maida Vale
- Marylebone
- Pimlico North
- Queen's Park
- Regent's Park
- West End
- Westbourne
Only three wards are excluded:
- Pimlico South
- St James's
- Vincent Square
What selective licensing means for Westminster renters
If you rent in one of these wards, your landlord must now prove your home meets safety and management standards. If they haven't, the consequences land in your favour. You may be able to claim rent back through a Rent Repayment Order, and an unlicensed landlord also risks a council civil penalty of up to £40,000.
Can I claim rent back from an unlicensed Westminster landlord?
If your landlord is not licensed, but should be, you can apply for a Rent Repayment Order. The order covers the rent you paid while the offence was being committed, and on 1 May 2026 section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 raised the ceiling on that rent from 12 months to 2 years. Rent you paid before that date stays under the old 12-month ceiling.
Westminster's scheme started on 24 November 2025, so a landlord who never got a licence has been committing the offence across the change. Regulation 11 of SI 2026/421 keeps the old 12-month cap for the rent paid before 1 May 2026, while the new 2-year limit applies to the rent paid since. That later period cannot reach a full 2 years until 1 May 2028.
The tribunal decides the amount from the circumstances. For the rent paid from 1 May 2026 that changes: section 98 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 makes the maximum for that period compulsory where the landlord has been convicted of the offence, has a civil penalty for it that can no longer be appealed, or has already been convicted, fined or ordered to repay for the same offence. Only exceptional circumstances let the tribunal order less. The 12-month period before that date stays in its discretion.
The deadline matters too. For an offence committed on or after 1 May 2026 you have 2 years from the offence to apply, and where the landlord is still unlicensed the clock starts only when the offence stops. Where the unlicensed letting ended before 1 May 2026, the limit is 12 months from the offence.
You pay a First-tier Tribunal application fee plus a separate hearing fee. Check the current amounts on GOV.UK before you apply.
How do I check if my Westminster home is licensed?
Don't assume your landlord has it sorted. Many haven't.
Set up a free account and check your address on app.remedylegal.ai, or email us at hello@remedylegal.ai and we'd be happy to check for you.
