Flats to Rent in Westminster

Renting in Westminster

The City of Westminster covers most of central London's West End and much more: Mayfair, Soho and Covent Garden, Marylebone and Fitzrovia's western half, Belgravia and Pimlico, Paddington and Bayswater, and residential St John's Wood, Maida Vale and Queen's Park in the north. On the ONS measure in the table above, its average rent is among the highest in London. Council tax is among the lowest in England: Band D is £1,047.85 in 2026/27, second only to Wandsworth, against a London average of £2,068 (Westminster City Council; MHCLG). Homes in Queen's Park, which has a parish council, pay a little more.

Westminster also runs selective licensing: since 24 November 2025, private landlords in designated areas across 15 wards need a council licence. Pimlico South, St James's and Vincent Square wards are excluded. The council's website shows which streets are covered.

The neighbourhoods

Marylebone

Marylebone, between Oxford Street and Regent's Park, has a High Street of independent shops and a Sunday farmers' market, the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square, and Harley Street's private clinics. Much of it is owned by the Howard de Walden and Portman estates. Stations include Baker Street, Bond Street (with the Elizabeth line), Regent's Park and Marylebone, which has Chiltern Railways trains. Rentals are mostly flats in mansion blocks and Georgian and Victorian houses.

Mayfair and St James's

Mayfair, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane, has garden squares, Bond Street's shops and many of London's grandest hotels, and much of it is part of the Grosvenor estate. St James's, south of Piccadilly, runs down to St James's Park and the Mall. Rentals are flats in period buildings and mews houses, and few are cheap. Green Park, Bond Street and Hyde Park Corner stations serve the area.

Soho, Covent Garden and Fitzrovia

Soho and the Westminster part of Covent Garden, around the piazza and the Royal Opera House, are the heart of the West End: theatres, restaurants, bars and offices, busy day and night. Chinatown is around Gerrard Street. Homes are mostly flats above shops and offices, often small and noisy. Fitzrovia is split between Westminster, west of Cleveland Street, and Camden, and it is quieter. Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Oxford Circus stations serve the area.

Belgravia and Pimlico

Belgravia, built largely by Thomas Cubitt for the Grosvenor estate, is a district of white stucco terraces around garden squares such as Belgrave and Eaton Squares, with many embassies. Pimlico, to the south, was also laid out by Cubitt and has similar stucco terraces on a smaller scale, most of them now flats, with Tate Britain on the river and the Churchill Gardens estate. Victoria station, with the Victoria, Circle and District lines and trains to Gatwick and the south coast, is on their edge, and Pimlico station is on the Victoria line. Pimlico is usually where Westminster's rents start to come down.

Paddington and Bayswater

Paddington has the station (Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Elizabeth lines, plus the Heathrow Express and trains to the west) and the newer offices and flats of Paddington Basin by the canal. Bayswater, between Paddington and Hyde Park, has large stucco terraces, most split into flats, and Queensway's shops and restaurants. Lancaster Gate and Queensway (Central line) and Bayswater (Circle and District lines) serve the area. Rentals here range widely, from small flats in converted houses to mansion blocks by the park.

Maida Vale and Little Venice

Little Venice is where the Regent's Canal meets the Grand Union Canal's Paddington Arm, with narrowboats moored along the towpaths. Maida Vale, to the north, is dominated by large red-brick Edwardian mansion blocks along wide streets. Warwick Avenue and Maida Vale stations are on the Bakerloo line. Most rentals are flats in these blocks, often with shared gardens.

St John's Wood

St John's Wood, north of Regent's Park, has detached and semi-detached villas and large mansion blocks, a village-like High Street, Lord's Cricket Ground and the Abbey Road Studios zebra crossing. The American School in London is here. St John's Wood station is on the Jubilee line. Family houses here are among the most expensive rentals in London.

Getting around

Almost every Tube line runs through Westminster, and much of the borough is within walking distance of work for people in the West End, Victoria and Paddington. Paddington and Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road have the Elizabeth line to Heathrow, the City and Canary Wharf; Victoria, Paddington, Marylebone and Charing Cross are main-line terminals. Walking and cycling are practical for many journeys, and the royal parks give largely traffic-free routes. Check a specific commute on the TfL Journey Planner before you sign.

Schools

State secondaries include the St Marylebone Church of England School (girls, with a mixed sixth form), the Grey Coat Hospital (Church of England, girls), Westminster City School (boys), Westminster Academy and Paddington Academy. Well-known independent schools include Westminster School, Francis Holland School and the American School in London. Faith and independent schools set their own admissions rules, and places at popular state schools are competitive, so read each school's admissions criteria and its latest Ofsted report before choosing a street for a school.

Parks and open space

Westminster's open space is mainly the royal parks: Hyde Park, Green Park, St James's Park and most of Regent's Park, all run by The Royal Parks. Paddington Recreation Ground serves Maida Vale, and many garden squares are private to their residents. For most residents, a park is closer than a garden.

Safety

Westminster's recorded crime is high because so many people visit and work here: theft and pickpocketing concentrate around the West End, Oxford Street and the main stations, and Soho's nightlife brings late-night disorder. Residential streets in Marylebone, Pimlico, Maida Vale and St John's Wood are usually much quieter. For a specific street, the police's crime map at police.uk shows reported crime month by month.

Who it suits

Westminster suits people who work in the West End, Westminster, Victoria or Paddington and want to walk to work; people who want theatres, restaurants and the royal parks on the doorstep; and renters for whom a low council tax bill offsets part of a high rent. It suits people less well if they want space or a garden for the money, or quiet streets near the West End.

Useful links

Westminster City Council: westminster.gov.uk (council tax, selective licensing, parking, school admissions)
Crime by street: police.uk
Journeys: tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey
The Royal Parks: royalparks.org.uk

The listings above are homes and rooms advertised by their landlords in Westminster now. Check whether each one is in a selective licensing area, and whether a flat above shops or bars faces the street.