What Grants are Available for Home Improvements? (2026 UK Guide)

If you're eligible for a grant, you usually apply via your council, an approved energy company or installer, or through GOV.UK; some schemes are free while others are means-tested, so you may need to contribute.

Renovating or moving house and need secure, flexible storage while the work’s going on? HOLD Self Storage offers secure short-term units and 24-hour access on request.

Home improvement grants are government-backed payments that help UK residents repair, adapt or upgrade a property without paying the full cost themselves. Unlike a standard loan, in many cases you don't pay the money back, as long as you keep to the scheme rules.

Typical support includes:

Energy efficiency improvements; insulation; ventilation; modern heating systems

Accessibility work linked to disability; improving access in and around the home

Essential home repairs where poor living conditions could harm your health

Most schemes are means tested; your income, benefits, age, health and ownership status all affect whether you're eligible and how much funding you can get.

If you search for what grants are available for home improvements, most results relate to energy efficiency. The scheme aims usually focus on reducing carbon emissions and lowering energy bills for low income households.

Key energy schemes and energy grants include:

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4): a requirement for large energy suppliers to help households add energy efficiency measures such as insulation and more efficient heating systems; mainly for low-income or fuel-poor homes.

Great British Insulation Scheme: a newer government scheme that offers free or cheaper insulation for the least energy-efficient homes, so you can save money on energy bills.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme: funding for property owners to replace fossil fuel heating systems such as old gas or oil boilers with low carbon systems like heat pumps or a biomass boiler.

Warm Homes: Local Grant: delivered by local authority main offices; supporting energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating systems for low income households.

Home Upgrade Grant: focused on off gas grid property in England; aimed at low income households with poor EPC ratings that need energy efficiency improvements and heating upgrades.

Together these schemes can support a wide range of improvements; from loft and cavity wall insulation to new low carbon heating systems. Many qualifying vulnerable households receive free works; others get part funded upgrades that still bring useful savings on long term energy costs.

A disabled facilities grant is a grant from your local authority for work that's essential to help a disabled person live independently at home. You can usually apply as an owner occupier, landlord, tenant or contract holder; the key requirement is that the works benefit someone with a disability.

Adaptations can include:

Installing ramps, level access showers or a stair lift

Widening doors and hallways for wheelchair access

Improving access to gardens, parking or outdoor spaces

Creating ground floor bedrooms or bathrooms where stairs are a barrier

An occupational therapist may assess what work is necessary and appropriate; the grant is then means tested against your income and savings. In England and Wales there are maximum grant limits; but the local authority must provide a disabled facilities grant if you meet the conditions and the work's reasonable.

If you live in rented accommodation you'll need your landlord's permission before the council agrees to help.

Alongside national schemes, many local authorities run their own council grant offers and loan products for essential repairs and home improvement. These can often change and differ between areas.

Common local support includes:

General home repairs grants for serious hazards; for example, unsafe wiring or leaking roofs

Interest-free or low-interest loan schemes for larger improvements and empty property grants to bring vacant homes back into use

Help from home improvement agencies; these agencies can give professional advice, help you find a reliable contractor and manage works for older people and disabled residents

Your local authority must set rules for the help it offers, but it also has to consider your individual circumstances and can't rely on completely rigid rules. Before any funding is agreed, it should provide clear written details of all terms and conditions.

You can contact the housing or private sector team at your local authority main office to ask what schemes are available and whether they're worth exploring for your situation.

Grants won't cover every type of home improvement. Many UK residents look at different types of loan alongside or instead of grants when planning home renovations or home repairs.

Options can include:

Local authority loans for home improvements: some councils offer low or zero interest funding for major repairs and improvements; they must consider your ability to repay and may secure the loan against the property.

Support for Mortgage Interest: a government loan that can help pay mortgage interest and interest payments on loans used for essential home repairs and home improvements; it's usually repaid when you sell or transfer ownership.

Secured loans (borrowing against your property): often with higher limits but with the risk that you could lose the home if you don't pay.

Unsecured personal loans: flexible and often quick to arrange; suitable for mid-sized projects.

Credit cards: sometimes used for smaller-scale home renovations, but only sensible if you clear the balance quickly so that interest costs stay under control.

Before taking on any loan; think about how repayments will affect your income and other financial commitments; check whether a grant, free energy efficiency work through an energy company obligation scheme or other help could reduce the amount you need to borrow.

Decide whether your priority is:

Energy efficiency improvements, for example, insulation or new energy-efficient heating systems and heat pumps

Accessibility or disability adaptations tied to living independently

Essential repairs, for example, urgent home repairs that address health and safety risks

Knowing this will narrow the schemes you need to investigate.

Most major energy efficiency schemes focus on:

Low-income households or people on specific benefits

Properties with poor EPC ratings that aren't currently energy efficient

Vulnerable households; including those with medical conditions made worse by cold or damp homes

For disability related support; the council looks at your needs and whether the proposed work's necessary and appropriate; disabled facilities grants are then means tested.

Start with:

GOV.UK Help to Heat pages and the service that helps you find government grants

Your local authority website; search for phrases like home improvement grants, energy grants or council grant

Independent advice providers such as Citizens Advice, Age UK and similar organisations; these can explain funding schemes, loans and other help in plain language and highlight different types of support you might qualify for

When you find a relevant scheme:

Contact the named energy company, installer or local authority team to confirm that you're eligible

Ask what documents you need; for example proof of income, benefits, ID, property ownership, recent energy bills or repair quotes

If you rent, obtain written landlord's permission before works are agreed

For ECO and similar schemes, the legal energy company obligation sits with participating energy suppliers; but they often use partner installers to carry out energy efficiency measures in homes.

For council schemes and disabled facilities grants you may need quotes from an approved contractor. Before you sign anything, make sure you understand:

Which cost items the grant or loan covers and what you'll pay yourself

Any conditions linked to ownership, future sale of the property or how long you must live there

Whether the support is a grant, an interest free loan, a standard loan or a mix of funding types

Ask for information in writing; your local authority must provide clear details of the terms and conditions before work begins.

Home improvement projects quickly fill your home with tools, furniture and boxes, making it harder for contractors to access key areas. Short-term storage lets you clear rooms fast, protect belongings from dust and damage, and keep work running smoothly. It’s also ideal if you're moving house or waiting for council funding to be approved.

HOLD offers flexible unit sizes, secure modern facilities and simple monthly pricing, with 24-hour access available on request. You only pay for the space you need, helping you stay organised and reduce stress during renovations.

Watch our video below on how self-storage can support you when you're moving house.