Grants and loans for landlords in Greater Manchester
There is real money on the table for landlords who act before it closes: a grant that can fund a first property in full, £7,500 towards a heat pump, a subsidised loan for solar and batteries, and a VAT holiday that ends in March 2027. Here is what each one pays, who qualifies, and how we apply for it on your behalf.
Warm Homes: Local Grant, first property fully funded for an eligible tenant
Boiler Upgrade Scheme towards an air source heat pump, landlords included
ECO4 closes. Works must be completed and lodged by then
0% VAT on insulation, solar, batteries and heat pumps ends; 5% after
Warm Homes: Local Grant (Greater Manchester scheme)
This is the main grant for rented homes and it runs until 31 March 2028. Greater Manchester is funded separately from the national scheme and runs its own version on the same rules, open to private landlords since March 2026 through the GMCA retrofit portal. Bury, Rochdale and Tameside handle their own applications; the rest of Greater Manchester goes through GMCA.
What it pays. For a landlord's first property, 100% of the cost up to £15,000 for insulation and energy-efficiency measures plus £15,000 for low-carbon heating. For the second and later properties the grant covers 50%, up to £7,500 plus £7,500, with the landlord paying the rest. Grant money counts towards your £10,000 MEES cost cap, which means a fully funded property can reach the standard without you spending your own money on it.
Who qualifies. Three things have to be true at once. The property must be EPC D or E (F and G only with a registered MEES exemption). The tenant must meet one of the low-income routes: the postcode is in the most deprived 20% of areas, or the household receives a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit, or gross household income is under £36,000. And the landlord must be a registered Supporter of the Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter, which is free and takes a few minutes online. You cannot raise the rent because of the works, and the tenant never contributes.
What it covers. Loft, cavity, solid-wall and underfloor insulation, windows, solar PV, batteries (since February 2026), heat pumps and heating controls. All works must be delivered under PAS 2035 by TrustMark-registered installers, with MCS certification for solar and heat pumps, and lodged on the TrustMark data warehouse. That is exactly how we deliver every job, which is why we can take a grant-funded property from application to lodged EPC.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
A £7,500 grant towards an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 towards an air-to-air system, in England and Wales. Landlords are explicitly eligible for properties they rent out. There is no longer any insulation requirement. The MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher on your behalf and must fit and commission the system within 120 days. Hybrid systems that keep a gas boiler are not eligible, and one grant is allowed per property. From 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 the grant rises to £9,000 for homes heated by oil or LPG. The scheme is funded to 2029/30. Unlike the other grants, BUS money does not count towards your £10,000 MEES cap.
Warm Homes Loan
A government-backed loan for solar PV (up to £15,000), a battery (up to £15,000) and heat pumps (up to £20,000 for air source, after the BUS grant), launching to consumers from September 2026 through participating lenders. The government pays the lender a subsidy that cuts your interest rate by up to five percentage points; the lender sets the final rate, so it is cheap rather than guaranteed to be free. Landlords can take one loan per property across as many properties as they like, with normal credit checks and no income or EPC test. Insulation is not covered in the current rules. This is the natural way to fund solar and batteries on second and later properties where the grant only pays half.
ECO4, closing 31 December 2026
The energy-supplier obligation has been extended once and will not be replaced. For a rented home to qualify it must be EPC E, F or G, the tenant must be on a qualifying benefit or referred by the council, and the job must include solid-wall insulation, first-time central heating or renewable heating; a straight boiler swap is not eligible in rented homes. Every measure must be finished and scored by 31 December 2026, so a job that has not started by early autumn is unlikely to make it. We are an ECO4 installer and will tell you honestly whether a property can still be done in time.
0% VAT until 31 March 2027
The installation of insulation, solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, heating controls and draught-proofing in a home, including a landlord's rented home, is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate returns to 5%. Because landlords cannot reclaim VAT on residential lettings, the zero rate is a real saving of 5% on every job that completes before the deadline. Our fixed prices show the VAT position for your completion date.
Which route fits which property
| Your situation | Likely route |
|---|---|
| EPC D or E, tenant on benefits or in a low-income postcode, your first grant property | Warm Homes: Local Grant, fully funded up to £30,000 |
| Same tenant profile, your second or later property | Warm Homes: Local Grant at 50%, topped up with the Warm Homes Loan for solar or a heat pump |
| EPC E–G with a solid-wall or no-central-heating job, eligible tenant, can start now | ECO4 before 31 December 2026 |
| Working tenant, no grant route | Self-funded fabric works at 0% VAT before March 2027, BUS £7,500 if you move to a heat pump, Warm Homes Loan for solar and battery |
| Already band C on a current EPC | Nothing to do until the certificate expires; keep the paperwork |
Common questions
Can I get a grant if my tenant works and is not on benefits?
Only if the postcode is in the most deprived 20% of areas or the household income is under £36,000 and can be evidenced. Otherwise the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Warm Homes Loan are open to every landlord regardless of the tenant.
Do I have to sign up to the Good Landlord Charter?
For the Greater Manchester Warm Homes: Local Grant, yes: registered Supporter status is a condition. It is free and does not commit you to the full Charter membership.
Does grant money count towards my £10,000 cost cap?
Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4 funding count. Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding does not.
What if I miss the ECO4 deadline?
The same property may qualify for Warm Homes: Local Grant, which runs to March 2028 and covers a wider list of measures. We check both.
Sources: DESNZ Warm Homes: Local Grant policy guidance (June 2026); GMCA Warm Homes: Local Grant GM-wide scheme and Good Landlord Charter announcement (12 March 2026); GOV.UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance; DESNZ Warm Homes Loan Scheme rules (June 2026); Ofgem ECO4 delivery guidance v4.0; HMRC VAT Notice 708/6. Figures correct at 10 September 2026; grant caps and eligibility can change and are confirmed at application.