I am an accredited domestic energy assessor covering the whole of Westminster: Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Mayfair and Soho (W1), Bayswater and Paddington (W2), Maida Vale and Little Venice (W9), St John’s Wood and Lisson Grove (NW8), and Pimlico, Belgravia and Victoria (SW1). Mansion blocks and managed buildings often need access arranged in advance, so tell me about the porter, concierge or key collection when you book. There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London.
| Households (2021 census) | 94,816 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 43.3% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 27.4% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 28.3% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 89.7% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 16.1% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 10.2% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 71, band C (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 64% (London 58%) |
| Selective licence (one household or up to two sharers) | 15 of 18 wards since 24 November 2025; £995 (£543 + £452) |
| EPC discount on part B | 20% (£90.40) for B or above; 10% (£45.20) for C |
| Wards outside the scheme | Pimlico South, St James’, Vincent Square |
Sources: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics, tables TS054 (tenure) and TS044 (accommodation type) via Nomis; London means the 33 local authorities added together. Licensing: Westminster City Council’s “Selective Property Licensing”, “Do I need a licence?” and “Licence fees and discounts” pages, checked 22 October 2026. EPC figures: ONS, “Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales” (28 October 2025), the latest certificate for each home lodged in the ten years to March 2025, at the score when it was assessed; homes without an EPC are not counted.
Westminster’s selective licence
Since 24 November 2025, selective licensing has applied to most privately rented homes in 15 of Westminster’s 18 wards: homes rented to a single household, let to a single tenant, or rented by two people sharing. Homes already licensed as houses in multiple occupation under the mandatory or additional schemes are excluded. The wards come in two designations:
- Designation 1: Abbey Road, Church Street, Harrow Road, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Queen’s Park and Westbourne.
- Designation 2: Bayswater, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate, Marylebone, Pimlico North, Regent’s Park and West End.
Pimlico South, St James’ and Vincent Square are outside the scheme, though HMO licensing still applies there. Once you have applied you can keep renting while the application is processed — the council says licences do not need to be approved before a property can be let. Its ward finder, and City Hall’s property licence checker, show which ward an address is in.
A better rating means a cheaper licence
The licence costs £995: £543 when you apply and £452 once it is granted. Westminster discounts the second part by energy rating — 20%, or £90.40, for an EPC of B or above, and 10%, or £45.20, for a C. Accredited landlords get 10% of the total fee (£99.50) off part B, and several leasehold flats in the same block, under the same ownership and management and applied for together, get £125 off part B.
A let of a whole home needs a valid EPC in any case, and most privately rented homes must be rated E or above unless an exemption has been registered — the landlord guide explains the rules. If your certificate is old, a new assessment may record improvements made since, such as a new boiler or double glazing; the improvement guide covers what counts. The EPC and a floor plan together cost from £123. Checked on the council’s selective licensing pages on 22 October 2026.
What the assessment looks at in a Westminster home
How homes in Westminster score today. The ONS’s latest figures use each home’s most recent EPC lodged in the ten years to March 2025. The typical (median) score here is 71, band C, against 70 across London, and 64% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 68, against 85 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 72, terraced houses at 64. How every London borough compares.
89.7% of Westminster households live in a flat, and 43.3% rent privately — on both counts the second-highest share in London, after the City.
Stucco terraces and mansion blocks
Bayswater was built mostly in the 1800s, its streets and garden squares lined with Victorian stucco terraces, some since divided into flats. Thomas Cubitt laid out Pimlico from 1825 as a grid of white stucco terraces, now the Pimlico Conservation Area. Maida Vale has many late Victorian and Edwardian mansion blocks — the first were finished in Lauderdale Road in 1897 — and more than nine in ten of its households live in a flat. In a terrace conversion or a mansion block the walls are usually solid brick, and a flat’s rating depends heavily on where it sits in the building and on how it is heated.
Pimlico’s estates and district heating
Churchill Gardens in Pimlico — 1,600 homes in 32 blocks, built between 1946 and 1962 — is heated by the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking, an early and rare example of district heating in the UK. Dolphin Square has 1,250 flats from the mid-1930s, Bayswater’s Hallfield Estate by Lubetkin and Lasdun is a Grade II listed estate of 650 flats, and Lisson Grove has the Church Street and Lisson Green estates. For a flat on a district or communal system, the EPC records the shared heating rather than a boiler of its own, so the assessment needs to know how the building is heated.
Georgian Marylebone and listed homes
Marylebone’s Georgian streets were laid out by great estates, including the Howard de Walden and Portman estates, which still manage much of the area today. If your home is listed, being listed does not exempt it from needing an EPC on its own: a listed home is exempt only where meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance.
Selling in Westminster
27.4% of Westminster households own their home. If you are selling, the EPC must be ordered before the home goes on the market; the sellers’ guide covers the timing and whether an older certificate will still do.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices by size: £69 for a flat up to 52 square metres, £75 from 53 to 70, £85 from 71 to 95 and £90 up to 110, then from £95 for larger homes. Confirmed in writing before you book. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Which Westminster wards need a selective licence?
Fifteen of its eighteen wards, including Marylebone, Maida Vale, Bayswater, Westbourne and Pimlico North. Only Pimlico South, St James’ and Vincent Square are outside the scheme, and the council’s ward finder confirms which ward an address is in.
How much does a good EPC take off the Westminster licence?
The licence is £995. An EPC rated B or above takes 20% off part B, which is £90.40, and a C takes 10%, or £45.20.
Can I keep renting while my Westminster licence application is processed?
Yes. The council says that once you have applied you may continue to rent out the property while the application is processed, and licences do not need to be approved before a property can be rented.
How much is an EPC for a Westminster flat?
From £69 for a flat of up to 52 square metres and £75 for 53 to 70, rising with floor area. The price is confirmed in writing before you book, with no travel surcharge.
My flat is on Pimlico’s district heating. Does that affect the EPC?
It changes what is recorded: the assessment records the shared heating system rather than a boiler of your own, so it helps to know how the building is heated before the visit.
Nearby
Next door: Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, Brent and the City of London, with Lambeth and Wandsworth across the river. I cover every London borough.