How to apply for the Warm Homes Local Grant

The two front doors

There are two legitimate ways to apply, and both end with your council.

1. The GOV.UK online service. GOV.UK’s “Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home” page leads to an online eligibility checker run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It starts by asking which country the property is in, then asks about the home, your income and your heating. If you look eligible, your details go to the council (or consortium) responsible for your address.
2. Your council’s own route. Many councils and consortia advertise their own sign-up page, advice line or partner organisation. Use the council lookup to find which project covers you, then search your council’s website for “Warm Homes Local Grant”.

Either route is free. The guidance also encourages councils to work with local charities and advice organisations to help people through the process, so a referral from one of them is legitimate too.

Before you start: five things to have ready

• Your address and postcode, and whether you own the home or rent it from a private landlord
• The home’s EPC rating, if you know it: look it up free on the GOV.UK “Find an energy certificate” service. GOV.UK says you can find it out when you apply, so do not pay for one first
• Which pathway you think fits: an eligible postcode, a listed benefit, or household income
• Your heating fuel: mains gas, oil, LPG, electric, solid fuel or a heat network (all are eligible)
• Your landlord’s contact details, if you rent

Step by step

1. Check the rules fit

The quick check on this page runs through the four main rules. The full detail is on who qualifies. The two most common reasons for a no are an EPC rating of C or above and a home in a nation other than England.

2. Apply

Complete the GOV.UK checker or your council’s form. Answer the income questions accurately: councils must verify eligibility with evidence and are not allowed to rely on self-declaration.

3. The council gets in touch

The GOV.UK page says the council will usually contact you within 10 working days. For referrals from the online checker, the delivery guidance makes that a requirement: councils must contact eligible households by email or phone within 10 working days of receiving the referral. The call or email will ask for evidence and arrange a home survey.

4. Evidence

Expect to show ID and proof of address, proof of ownership (or your landlord’s details), and evidence for your pathway: a benefit award letter, or income evidence for every adult whose income counts. If you are in an eligible postcode, no income evidence is needed. DESNZ has described an Income Verification Tool that checks income and benefits against DWP and HMRC data in the background; where it cannot settle a case, the council checks manually.

5. The retrofit assessment

A retrofit assessor surveys the whole home to the PAS 2035:2023 standard, and a retrofit coordinator proposes a package aimed at bringing the home to EPC C where the caps allow. If a heat pump is proposed, you must be given clear advice on how it is likely to affect your bills. What the survey involves.

6. You decide

You can accept the package, part of it, or none of it. The decision on a heat pump or other heating system rests with you. Owner occupiers and tenants pay nothing; landlords contribute 50% from their second home.

7. Installation and sign-off

The council’s contractors fit the measures. Installers must be TrustMark-registered and certified to PAS 2030 or by MCS for the measures they fit, and a guarantee must be in place before work starts. Every measure is lodged with TrustMark and the home receives a new EPC.

If you need help

GOV.UK runs an assisted digital support helpline for people who find the online service hard to use: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm, excluding bank holidays. The number is published on the official apply page. Local advice services and your council’s energy or housing team can also help.

Applying as a landlord or a tenant

A tenant can start the conversation, but the landlord has to agree. The landlord completes a declaration form, confirms they will not raise the rent because of the funded work, and confirms they are within the public subsidy limit. The council checks the landlord’s details against the title deeds and DESNZ checks a central database to see whether the landlord has already had a fully funded home. Only then can the council confirm a fully funded or 50% offer. Landlord rules in full, or the tenant’s guide to asking your landlord.

If you are in a devolved area

Residents of Birmingham, Manchester and 15 neighbouring councils apply through their combined authority’s route, not the national list. Greater Manchester and West Midlands.