If your rental property needs energy-efficiency upgrades, check whether you can get help with the cost before paying for the work yourself.
For example, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants of up to £7,500 towards low-carbon heating in England and Wales. The Warm Homes: Local Grant may also help cover insulation and other improvements, depending on eligibility and your tenants’ circumstances.
There’s another reason to start planning now. Under current government proposals, privately rented properties in England and Wales will need to meet a minimum EPC C rating by 1st October 2030, subject to cost caps and exemptions.
Here’s what landlords need to know about the available grants and schemes, eligibility requirements, and the proposed 2030 deadline.
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The 4 main types of grants available to landlords
Here’s a closer look at four grants available to you at the moment, including information on who can apply, what support is available, and any deadlines to keep in mind.
1. Clean heat and heat pump grants
If you’re thinking about swapping an old gas or oil heating system for a heat pump, there is some financial help available. Depending on where your rental property is, you could get a grant towards installation costs or access a loan to spread the expense.
Support is usually arranged through approved installers or regional energy programmes, and some schemes don’t take your tenant’s income into account.
England & Wales Scotland Northern Ireland England & Wales Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) Funding Type Non-repayable upfront discount voucher applied directly to the installation invoice. How Much You Could Get- £7,500 for air-to-water or ground-source heat pumps.
- £9,000 for off-gas grid properties replacing oil or LPG (available until 31st March 2027).
- £5,000 for biomass boilers (rural, off-gas only).
- £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps.
- Up to £15,000 per property for clean-heating systems.
- Up to £38,500 total per property if combined with insulation measures.
- Repayable over 5-10 years at 0% APR.
- Up to £100,000 total for landlords with 1-5 properties.
- Up to £250,000 total for landlords with >5 properties.
- No universal cash grants for landlords (standard retrofits must be self-funded).
- Minor, highly rationed subsidies only if specific annual fuel-poverty pots are active.
You might also be interested in…
- All You Need to Know About Right to Rent Checks
- Tenant Notice to Quit: The Landlord’s Guide and Date Calculator
- What Grants are Available for Landlords in the UK?
- Awaab’s Law Explained: A Guide for Private Landlords
- All You Need to Know About the ‘Register Your Rental Property’ Service and Landlord Ombudsman
2. Council and government-delivered whole home retrofits
These schemes provide deep, multi-measure retrofits (insulation, solar PV, and heat pumps) for low-rated properties (EPC D to G) occupied by low-income tenants, managed directly by local authorities or devolved governments.
England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland England Warm Homes: Local Grant Delivery Body Participating local authorities and regional consortia. How Much Could You Get?- Up to £16,600 for energy-efficiency fabric upgrades (insulation).
- Up to £16,600 for clean-heating installations (heat pumps).
- 1st property: 100% funded (£0 landlord contribution).
- Subsequent properties: Mandatory minimum 50% co-investment.
- Household gross annual income of £36,000 or less.
- Means-tested benefits.
- Eligible low-income postcode (IMD deciles 1-2).
- Means-tested benefits.
- Low income after housing costs (