Grants for landlords in 2026: what you can claim
Grants for landlords are available in 2026, but they are narrower than most guides suggest. The biggest is Greater Manchester's Warm Homes: Local Grant, worth up to £30,000. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, and the Great British Insulation Scheme has closed. This page shows what is open, who qualifies and what to do first.
Last checked: 21 October 2026 against GMCA and gov.uk pages. Grant rules change often, so we date every claim and re-check this page whenever a scheme changes.
Check which grants fit my property
Available grants for landlords in 2026
Four landlord grants matter in the North West. The table gives the amount, who qualifies, the end date and where we checked it.
| Scheme | What it pays | Who qualifies | Ends | Source (checked 21 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Homes: Local Grant (Greater Manchester) | 100% up to £30,000 for a landlord's first property; 50% up to £15,000 for later ones | Landlords who support the Good Landlord Charter, with an eligible property and tenant household | No closing date stated | GMCA scheme page |
| ECO4 | Funded measures, with the tenant's household needing to qualify | Landlord gives written consent; tenant must meet the criteria | 31 December 2026 | Government response, January 2026 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | £7,500 towards an air source heat pump; £9,000 for oil or LPG homes from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 | A property you rent out to tenants can apply; installer must be MCS certified | £9,000 rate ends 31 March 2027 | Energy Saving Trust |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Closed | Not available | Ended 31 March 2026 | Council and industry notices |
Zero VAT on installing insulation and low-carbon heating also runs until 31 March 2027. It is expected to return to 5% after that unless the government extends it.
Energy efficiency grants for landlords: Greater Manchester Warm Homes: Local Grant
This is the strongest landlord grant in our pilot area. It is delivered by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). Here is how it works.
How much does it pay?
A landlord's first property in England can receive 100% of the cost, up to £15,000 for energy performance measures and up to £15,000 for low-carbon heating. That is up to £30,000 in total.
Second and later properties receive 50% of the cost, up to £7,500 for each category, so up to £15,000 in total. You pay the other half. Tenants are never asked to pay.
Which properties qualify?
A rented home must have an EPC rating of D or E. A home rated F or G only qualifies if it has a registered exemption under the 2015 private rented property regulations.
Which tenants qualify?
The household living in the property must meet one of these routes:
- The home sits in an eligible postcode in the two most deprived income deciles of the 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
- A household member receives a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- The household meets two proxy criteria under route 2 of ECO4 Flex.
- Combined gross household income is below £36,000.
So the grant depends on your tenant's circumstances as well as your property. Ask before you promise anything to a tenant.
Which measures are covered?
Measures include cavity wall, external wall and internal wall insulation, loft and room-in-roof insulation, floor insulation and draught-proofing. Solar panels, battery storage, air and ground source heat pumps and high heat retention storage heaters are covered too. Gas and oil boilers are not.
Which measures you receive follows a retrofit assessment of the property, not a menu you choose from.
What is the Good Landlord Charter condition?
Private landlords must be supporters of the Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter. GMCA says joining is free and that it starts with showing you meet your legal duties. Our Good Landlord Charter guide explains the steps.
How do you apply?
Landlords and tenants apply through the GMCA Retrofit Portal. GMCA also answers questions by email through its retrofit team. We can prepare the property details and evidence you will need before you start.
Government grants for landlords: ECO4 and its end date
ECO4 pays for measures in homes where the household qualifies, and the landlord must agree in writing. The landlord may be asked to contribute. The government has confirmed that ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 and will not be continued.
That makes ECO4 time-critical. If your tenant may qualify, the assessment and survey must happen soon. Do not rely on a measure being funded unless it has been agreed and booked.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and heat pumps
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump. A temporary rate of £9,000 applies to heat pumps in oil and LPG homes from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. The installer applies for the grant and deducts it from your bill.
The installer must be MCS certified and sign up to an approved consumer code. Funding from this scheme does not count towards the £10,000 EPC cost cap. GOV.UK confirms that a property you rent out to tenants can apply, subject to the scheme's other rules, which we check for you first.
How grants affect the £10,000 EPC cost cap
The government has confirmed a £10,000 cap on what a landlord must spend to reach EPC C. The rule is confirmed policy, not yet law, and legislation is targeted for 2027. Our EPC C 2030 guide sets out the full position.
Two points matter for grants:
- Spend on measures installed since 1 October 2025 counts towards the cap.
- Other third-party funding, including Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4, counts towards it too.
In practice, a grant reduces what you pay but also uses up part of the cap. The details are in our cost cap and exemptions guide.
Funding for landlords outside Greater Manchester
Councils outside Greater Manchester run their own versions of the Warm Homes: Local Grant, and the rules differ. Cumberland Council funds one let home fully and asks for a 50% landlord contribution on others. Liverpool City Council says its 2026/27 funding is oversubscribed.
We are starting in Greater Manchester. We will add other North West areas as we verify their local schemes.
A worked example for a three-property landlord
This is an illustration of how the rules combine, not a quote. Suppose you let three rented homes in Greater Manchester, all rated D, and each tenant household qualifies.
- Your first property can receive 100% of the cost of eligible measures, up to £30,000.
- Your second and third properties each receive 50% of eligible costs, up to £15,000 each.
- If the second property needs £12,000 of insulation, the grant covers £6,000 and you pay £6,000.
Every pound of grant and every pound you spend since 1 October 2025 also counts towards the £10,000 cap on each property. So the example shows why one plan per property is better than one plan for the whole portfolio.
What to gather before you apply
Applications move faster when the paperwork is ready. Landlords typically need:
- The current EPC for each property and the date it was issued.
- Proof that you own the property and the tenancy details.
- Your tenant's agreement to take part, since the household criteria are about them.
- Evidence that you meet your legal duties, such as gas and electrical safety certificates, because the Good Landlord Charter starts with compliance.
We help you collect these, and we tell you early if something is missing.
Common mistakes landlords make with grants
Grants reward preparation. These are the mistakes we see most often in the guidance and from landlords:
- Assuming the property qualifies when the tenant household does not.
- Booking work before the funding is confirmed in writing. Ask the scheme first.
- Forgetting that grant funding counts towards the £10,000 cap.
- Leaving ECO4 until January, when it will already have closed.
- Treating an EPC rating as fixed. The new EPC will measure fabric performance first, so an old rating may not tell the whole story.
How to decide which grant to chase
Work through these questions in order:
- What is the current EPC rating, and is the property in Greater Manchester?
- Does your tenant's household meet one of the income or benefit routes?
- Are you willing to support the Good Landlord Charter?
- Is the property oil or LPG heated, which opens the higher heat pump rate?
- Do you have more than one rented property? The second and later ones receive 50%.
An assessment answers these quickly and shows which route saves you the most.
How Compliant Lets helps you claim
Compliant Lets is a trading name of LAMTANS Holdings Ltd. The retrofit work itself is delivered by LAMTANS Engineering Ltd, which holds PAS 2030, PAS 2035, MCS and TrustMark. Check the registers yourself: TrustMark, RECC, ICO, Gas Safe Register and Simply Certification.
We start with a retrofit assessment, check which grants fit your property and tenant, and handle the application steps with you. You see a clear plan before any work begins.
Sources
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Warm Homes Local Grant, privately rented scheme, checked 21 October 2026
- GMCA: The Good Landlord Charter and the Warm Homes Local Grant, checked 21 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes, government response, checked 21 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Check if you may be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, checked 21 October 2026
- Energy Saving Trust: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, checked 21 October 2026
- Cumberland Council: Warm Homes Local Grant, checked 21 October 2026
- Liverpool City Council: Warm Homes Local Grant, checked 21 October 2026
Designed & developed by LAMTANS Technologies LLC, USA — part of the LAMTANS Group
Frequently asked questions
Can landlords get grants for insulation?
Yes, in some cases. In Greater Manchester, landlords can claim up to £30,000 for a first property if they support the Good Landlord Charter and the property and tenant qualify. ECO4 can also fund insulation until 31 December 2026.
Is there a grant for landlords to reach EPC C?
There is no single national landlord grant. Funding comes through schemes such as Greater Manchester's Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4, which depend on the property, area and tenant. Spend on measures also counts towards the £10,000 EPC cap.
Do I need to be in Greater Manchester for the £30,000 grant?
Yes. That grant is delivered by GMCA for Greater Manchester. Other councils run their own versions with different rules, so check with your local council.
Will my tenant have to pay anything?
No. GMCA states that tenants are never asked to pay. For second and later properties, the landlord pays the remaining 50% of the cost.
Does my property need a low EPC rating to qualify?
For Greater Manchester's grant, a rented home must be rated D or E. An F or G rated home needs a registered exemption under the 2015 regulations to qualify.
When does ECO4 end?
ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, and the government has said ECO and the Great British Insulation Scheme will not be continued. Ask us now if your tenant might qualify.
Do grants count towards the £10,000 cost cap?
Yes. Third-party funding such as Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4 counts towards the cap. Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding does not. The cap is confirmed government policy but not yet law.
Are grants for landlords taxable?
Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and the type of work. Repairs and improvements are treated differently, so ask your accountant before you claim.