Energy grants for landlords: what ECO4 can fund in a rented home
Private landlords can get ECO4 funding for a rented home when the tenant qualifies, through a listed benefit or a council LA Flex declaration, and the home is rated EPC E, F or G. The work must include solid wall insulation, first time central heating, renewable heating or a district heating connection, so a like-for-like boiler swap is generally not allowed.
You give written permission, and large energy suppliers fund the measures under rules set by government. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026.
Apply Free Boiler is run by Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd, an ECO4 installer. We are not the government, Ofgem or an energy supplier. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.
Check if your tenant qualifies
The form asks about the people who live in the home, so the tenant should fill it in or be with you when you do. Free to check.
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Which energy grants can landlords use?
Four schemes come up most when landlords search for help. Only one of them is a grant you apply for yourself, and one has closed. Our guide to every home energy grant covers owner-occupiers too.
| Scheme | Who has to qualify | Rented homes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECO4 | The tenant, through a listed benefit or a council LA Flex declaration | EPC E, F or G, with your written permission. England, Scotland and Wales | Open until 31 December 2026 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | You, as the property owner. GOV.UK lists no benefit or income test | Properties you rent out can apply, social housing cannot. England and Wales. Heat pumps and biomass only | Open |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | The household, with income usually £36,000 a year or less | EPC D to G, England only. The landlord may need to pay for some of the work | Through your council |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | None | None | Closed on 31 March 2026 |
What ECO4 funds in a privately rented home
ECO4 is not a grant you claim. Large energy suppliers fund energy-saving work in low-income homes under rules set by government, and Ofgem runs the scheme. Read how it works in our ECO4 scheme guide.
For rented homes the rules are tighter than for owner-occupiers. Ofgem's ECO4 delivery guidance (paragraphs 3.74 to 3.77) says a privately rented home must start with an energy efficiency rating of E, F or G. A D-rated rental does not qualify. The package of work must include at least one of these:
- solid wall insulation (see our insulation grant guide)
- first time central heating, for a home with no central heating now
- a district heating connection
- renewable heating such as a heat pump, unless it replaces a renewable system of the same kind
Other ECO4 measures, such as loft or cavity wall insulation, can be added alongside. Before any heating measure goes in, the exterior cavity walls and the loft or roof must be insulated, or already be up to standard.
Each project also has a target. An F or G rented home should end up at band D or better, and an E-rated home at band C or better. The supplier only gets full credit for the project if it reaches that target, so the survey plans the work around it.
Can landlords get a free boiler under ECO4?
Usually not. Paragraph 3.79 of Ofgem's guidance says that in general, replacing, upgrading or repairing a boiler, central heating system or electric storage heater is not eligible in a privately rented home. This is why ECO4 rarely works as a boiler grant for landlords. The exceptions are narrow:
- The new heating is first time central heating, renewable heating or a district heating connection.
- The home is getting one of the four measures above, and the new boiler or storage heaters do not replace an existing boiler, central heating system or storage heaters. Ofgem's example is a rented home heated by electric room heaters getting storage heaters alongside solid wall insulation.
- Old electric storage heaters are replaced with first time central heating, or an inefficient system is replaced with a renewable one.
So if the boiler in your rental has failed, ECO4 will not fund a like-for-like replacement. If you want to move off gas or oil, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme below takes money off a heat pump whatever your tenant's income.
Who has to qualify: the tenant, not the landlord
Ofgem (paragraph 3.126) says Help to Heat eligibility is based on the tenant's status rather than the landlord's. Your own income and benefits play no part. Someone living in the home needs one of these (Ofgem's list):
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit or Savings Credit)
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit
- Child Benefit, if household income is under Ofgem's threshold
If nobody in the home gets one, the council may still declare the household eligible under LA Flex. The usual routes are a household income under £31,000, or a health condition made worse by living in a cold home, plus the council's own criteria. Flex covers privately rented homes. The full rules are in our ECO4 eligibility checker.
Landlord permission: what you sign
The supplier must get your permission before any measure goes into a rented home. Ofgem calls the form the Landlord Permission and Blended Funding Declaration, and it sits inside the ECO4 Eligibility Requirements Form. By signing it you:
- confirm you are the owner, landlord or management company and consent to the works
- accept that the installer, the funding supplier or Ofgem may contact you to check the declaration
- confirm the work is funded through ECO4 and that you have not sought, and will not seek, funding for the same measures from other government schemes or grants
You also sign a data use declaration to confirm you have read a privacy notice. The tenant confirms the tenure on the same form. Suppliers can ask for more evidence for rented homes if they choose, and you will need to allow access for the survey and the installation.
If you say no, the work cannot go ahead in that property. Ofgem's FAQs for consumers and landlords set out the same consent rule. For the tenant's side of this, read our guide to private tenants and landlord permission under ECO4.
Minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes
In England and Wales, landlords cannot let, or continue to let, a property covered by the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) if its EPC is below E. That has applied to all tenancies since 1 April 2020. You are not currently required to spend more than £3,500 including VAT on improvements. If you reach that cap, or another exemption applies, you register it on the PRS Exemptions Register. Most exemptions last 5 years, and the maximum fine is £5,000 per property in total. The rules are in GOV.UK's landlord guidance, last updated 5 May 2026.
A higher standard is planned. On 21 January 2026 the government published its response to the consultation on privately rented homes. It says private landlords of all tenancies will have to meet the equivalent of EPC C by 1 October 2030, with no earlier date for new tenancies. The cost cap rises to £10,000 per property. A home graded C or above on an EPC lodged before 1 October 2029 counts as compliant until that EPC expires.
This is not law yet. The government says it will seek new powers through an Act of Parliament and then lay regulations, aiming for them to come into force in 2027, subject to Parliamentary approval.
ECO4 work lines up with both. A rented home starting at F or G is planned to reach at least band D, above today's E minimum, and an E-rated home at least band C, the proposed 2030 level. Check the current rating on the GOV.UK EPC register and read our EPC rating guide for what each band means. Scotland sets its own rules for private landlords.
Gas safety duties still apply
Funded work does not change your legal duties. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, HSE says landlords must:
- have each gas appliance and flue they provide checked within 12 months of installation and every year after that, by a Gas Safe registered engineer
- keep the safety check record for 2 years
- give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check, and new tenants a copy before they move in
- use a Gas Safe registered engineer to maintain the pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants
A new gas appliance fitted under ECO4, such as first time central heating, needs its first check within 12 months of installation like any other. In England and Wales the installer must also notify it to Gas Safe Register, which you can confirm with our free Gas Safe certificate check.
Social housing works differently
ECO4 can fund social housing rated D to G that is let below the market rate, and the tenant does not need a qualifying benefit. The social landlord signs a declaration instead. Homes rated E to G can get insulation, first time central heating, renewable heating, a district heating connection or innovation measures. D-rated homes are limited to innovation measures (Ofgem, paragraphs 3.84 to 3.86).
Social housing cannot use LA Flex. If you rent from a council or housing association, ask your landlord whether it is running an ECO4 project. A social home let at or above market rate is treated like a private rental.
How a tenant or landlord starts
- Check the EPC. A privately rented home needs a rating of E, F or G for ECO4.
- The tenant fills in the eligibility form at the top of this page. It asks about the household's benefits and income, so the tenant's answers are the ones that count.
- If the household qualifies, you sign the landlord permission declaration before any work starts.
- A survey decides which measures the home needs. Nothing is fitted until a written contract is signed.
Our free boiler application page lists the documents to have ready. You can also contact any obligated energy supplier or your council directly, through GOV.UK.
If your rental does not qualify for ECO4
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales)
This is the grant landlords apply for in their own right. GOV.UK says you can apply for a property you rent out to tenants, if you are replacing fossil fuel heating. Social housing and most new builds are excluded. It pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, £5,000 towards a biomass boiler and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump. Until March 2027 there is an extra £1,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in a home heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas. An MCS certified installer applies on your behalf. It does not pay for a gas boiler. See our heat pump grant guide.
Warm Homes: Local Grant (England)
GOV.UK says the home must be in England, privately owned and rated EPC D to G, and household income must usually be £36,000 a year or less. It also says that if you have a landlord, they may need to pay for some of the improvements. The household applies online through GOV.UK, and the council usually gets in touch within 10 working days. We do not deliver this scheme, so ask your council about it.
Great British Insulation Scheme
Ofgem says it ended on 31 March 2026 and is closed to new installations. ECO4 itself ends on 31 December 2026, and the government has said there will be no successor supplier obligation.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
ECO4 covers England, Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland lists other funding. Northern Ireland is outside ECO4 and has its own schemes on nidirect.
Landlord energy grant questions
Not as a straight swap. Ofgem's ECO4 guidance says replacing, upgrading or repairing a boiler is generally not eligible in a privately rented home. A rented home can get first time central heating, renewable heating such as a heat pump, or a district heating connection, and those can replace an inefficient system.
No. Ofgem says Help to Heat eligibility is based on the tenant's status, not the landlord's. Your tenant, or someone living with them, needs a listed benefit or a declaration from the council under LA Flex.
Not as a privately rented home. ECO4 only funds privately rented homes that start at E, F or G. In England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant covers homes rated D to G if the household income test is met, and you apply through GOV.UK and your council.
No. Ofgem says the Great British Insulation Scheme ended on 31 March 2026 and is closed to new installations. ECO4 is still open until 31 December 2026, and the government has said there will be no successor supplier obligation after it.
Nobody should pay a fee to apply. Ofgem says that in some cases you may be asked to contribute to the cost of the installation. Any contribution should be set out in writing before work starts, and you can say no.
Check your tenant's eligibility before ECO4 closes
ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026. The check is free and takes a few minutes.
Go to the eligibility form