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The Westminster council stated that they are looking to create a safer and fairer tenant experience with improved living standards. This will affect a lot of private rentals in the area with London boroughs having an average of 26.8% of properties as private rentals, but Westminster has the largest percentage with 42.1% according to the ons.gov.uk report.
A HMO licence fee used to be charged per unit of accommodation but a fixed rate was brought in with the new additional licensing scheme, setting the price at £975 per property in Westminster. We suggest you check your borough for the latest charges as areas like Barnet charge £1,402.02 as of October 2021, but this has been increasing by an average of £83 a year with the cost being £985 back in 2015.
The government still defines a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) as a property with shared facilities such as toilet, bathroom or kitchen being occupied by at least 3 tenants forming more than one household. So while you might be living in a HMO, depending on the regulations of the local council a licence may not be required.
Written by Toby Dawson
