Brighton landlords offered £7,500 to fix cold homes and house homeless families
Private rented homes make up a large share of Brighton and Hove's housing
Landlords in Brighton and Hove are being offered up to £7,500 to bring cold, poorly rated rented homes up to standard, on one condition: that they hand the property to the council for three years to house people who would otherwise be homeless.
The Energy Performance Grant Scheme for Landlords is a new pilot from Brighton and Hove City Council that tries to solve two of the city's problems at once. It aims to lift the energy efficiency of private rented homes while adding to the council's short supply of temporary accommodation for families facing homelessness.
To qualify, a landlord must commit to improving a property so it reaches an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above, then sign a three-year lease with the council once the work is done and the home passes inspection. The grant money is only released after that lease is signed.
The scheme at a glance
Source: Brighton and Hove City Council, Energy Performance Grant Scheme for Landlords
Who can apply
The pilot is open to landlords whose Brighton and Hove properties currently sit at an EPC rating of D or below. The property needs to be empty, or have a clear route to becoming empty, before it can be leased to the council.
Landlords take on the upfront costs. That means arranging and paying for the EPC assessment, getting quotes, appointing contractors and paying for the work itself, and making sure the home meets all relevant standards, including the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and safety compliance rules. An application will not progress if the rent falls outside the scheme's affordability limits.
There is a catch worth reading twice. If the lease ends before the three-year term is up, the grant becomes repayable to the council.
How it works, step by step
Why the council is doing this
Brighton and Hove is dealing with an acute housing shortage, and rising homelessness has pushed up demand for temporary and emergency accommodation. The scheme is one of several approaches the council is trialling to ease that pressure while also nudging up the quality of the private rented sector.
"Brighton and Hove is experiencing an acute housing crisis, with rising levels of homelessness leading to increased demand for temporary and emergency accommodation."
The scheme, she added, is "a win-win for our local housing market as these grants will make tangible improvements to privately rented homes by making them more energy efficient."
Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing
The bigger picture for landlords
The timing matters. In January 2026 the government confirmed that from 1 October 2030, landlords must make sure rented properties reach at least EPC C, on new and ongoing tenancies alike, or face financial penalties of up to £30,000. The way EPCs are calculated is also changing, with a new methodology expected to make a C rating harder and more costly to reach for many older homes.
Against that backdrop, a grant that helps cover improvement works, even one that ties the property up for three years, is likely to appeal to landlords who will need to upgrade anyway. For the council, every home brought into the scheme is one more roof over a family's head at a time when it badly needs them.
How this scheme compares
For landlords at EPC D or below
Requires a 3-year council lease
Grant repayable if lease ends early
Tied to household eligibility
No council lease attached
Applied for through energy suppliers
Sources: Brighton and Hove City Council schemes to help with improving energy efficiency; gov.uk
How to register your interest
Landlords can read the full details and complete the Registration of Interest form on the council's Energy Performance Grant Scheme for Landlords page. Submitting the form does not guarantee grant funding or a lease, and applications must meet the leasing, rent and EPC improvement criteria to progress.
More guidance for owners is available through the council's private home owners section, including schemes to help with improving energy efficiency and advice on how to be energy efficient at home.
Useful links and sources
Energy Performance Grant Scheme for Landlords
Private home owners
Carry out work on your home
Schemes to help with improving energy efficiency
How to be energy efficient at home
Bring your empty property back into use
Sell your property back to the council
EPC Landlord Grant and Leasing Scheme privacy notice