Empty Home Grants in East Midlands: What's Available, Where & How Much
The East Midlands faces a significant housing challenge with over 13,000 long-term empty homes sitting vacant across the region, representing approximately 0.9% of all housing stock while local communities struggle with housing shortages.
Bolsover has the region's highest concentration with 837 empty properties (2.16% of local housing), while Leicester leads in total numbers with 1,859 vacant homes (1.28% of city housing).
6 out of 34 East Midlands councils currently offer dedicated empty homes grants or loans, with maximum funding ranging from £9,000 in South Derbyshire to £15,000 in Rutland and Charnwood.
These valuable but limited funding schemes represent crucial opportunities for property owners and investors looking to bring derelict buildings back into use across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, and Lincolnshire.
Data updated: February 2025.
Empty Home Grants East Midlands Summary 2025
Currently, 6 out of 34 East Midlands councils offer empty home grants or loans. Charnwood and Rutland provide the most substantial funding with grants up to £15,000, while South Derbyshire offers up to £9,000. Most schemes require properties to be empty for 12+ months and in council tax bands A-D. Additional support includes repair and lease schemes in some districts and property matchmaker services in areas like Gedling.
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by Robert Jones, Founder of Property Investments UK
With nearly two decades in UK property, Rob has been investing in buy-to-let since 2005, and uses property data to develop tools for property market analysis.
A List of Councils in the East Midlands and Their Empty Home Grants
Note: if you're a local council and would like to add your details here to this resource then please contact us with your details and we will be happy to add them for you.
- Amber Valley
- Ashfield
- Bassetlaw
- Blaby
- Bolsover
- Boston
- Broxtowe
- Charnwood
- Chesterfield
- Derby City
- Derbyshire Dales
- East Lindsey
- Erewash
- Gedling
- Harborough
- High Peak
- Hinckley and Bosworth
- Leicester
- Lincoln
- Mansfield
- Melton
- Newark and Sherwood
- North East Derbyshire
- North Kesteven
- North Northamptonshire
- Nottingham
- Oadby and Wigston
- Rushcliffe
- Rutland
- South Derbyshire
- South Holland
- South Kesteven
- West Lindsey
- West Northamptonshire
Amber Valley Borough Council
Location: Amber Valley Borough Council ward map
Amber Valley Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Amber Valley Borough Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They do provide some energy grants for residents under the Green Homes Grant Scheme.
Ashfield District Council
Location: Ashfield District Council ward map
Ashfield District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Ashfield District Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Ashfield District Council do have a housing policy which includes their approach to empty homes. They are also piloting an empty homes match making service to help bring together property owners who may be looking to sell their run-down empty homes and investors.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They do provide energy efficiency grants with ECO4 grants that are means tested for property owners and social housing, to help improve and bring local housing to EPC rating C for social housing and owner-occupier homes.
Ashfield District Council also have an affordable warmth grant for local residents that suffer from long term health conditions made worse by the cold, that includes boiler upgrades or replacements, and replacement windows and doors.
They also support residents with the Home Upgrade Grants (HUG), a central government funded scheme to help improve the energy efficiency of hard to heat homes. For example, if you have an old oil heated home and are considering upgrading to air source heat pumps in Ashfield, this grant maybe able to help.
Bassetlaw District Council
Location: Bassetlaw district council ward map
Bassetlaw District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Bassetlaw District Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do though have an empty homes policy and have identified 692 properties in Bassetlaw. Since 2017 their housing team have brought back to use a total of 97 empty properties through various approaches.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Like other regional councils, Bassetlaw do encourage residents to apply for the central government Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) to improve the energy efficiency of hard to heat homes.
Blaby District Council
Location: Blaby district council ward map
Blaby District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Blaby District Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do though have an empty homes policy currently under review.
They do have a 50% discount on council tax for empty homes, for properties requiring structural alterations or major repair work.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Blaby District Council do have a Home Support Grant up to £5,000 available per household. This is means tested and can help with property refurbishment items like window replacements, installation of basic central heating or replacement where the existing central heating is inadequate.
Blaby District Council also provide a range of energy efficiency improvement grants including support on
- Green Living Leicestershire Home Upgrade Grant
- Government ECO4 Grants
- Home Energy Retrofit Offer (HERO)
- Boiler Upgrade Service (BUS)
Alongside a warm homes advice service, all of the support for Blaby District Council energy grants can be found here.
Bolsover District Council
Location: Bolsover district council ward map
Bolsover District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Bolsover District Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Bolsover do have an empty homes policy and identified 754 long term empty homes in the district at the time of their last empty property strategy review.
Although they don't provide direct funding, the council does have a partnership with Action Housing (social housing provider) to help bring empty homes in the region back in use as a long term rental property. As part of this partnership Action Housing can access funding from Homes England to carry out renovation works, so if you have an empty home in need of renovation but can't afford the works, this maybe one option to consider. Initial details can be found on page 12 of their empty property strategy.
They also provide a property matchmaking service for landlords looking to sell or rent an empty property, you can contact the Bolsover council empty homes team here.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Bolsover District Council do provide a support and signposting to a range of energy efficiency improvement grants including support on
- Great British Insulation Scheme (for cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, although not external wall insulation)
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
- ECO4 Grants
All of the support for Bolsover District Council energy grants can be found here.
Boston Borough Council
Location: Boston Borough Council ward map
Boston Borough Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, empty homes loans (not grants) up to £6,000 are available from Boston Council through a local loan scheme.
This is available for eligible persons (must be an individual not a company) and details can be found on page 35 of Boston Council Private Sector Housing Policy Framework.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Boston council provide energy efficiency improvement grants to residents with a 3 different schemes to help improvement the energy performance and EPC ratings for local homes including:
- Green Homes Grants
- Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) - grants available between £8,00 to £38,000 per home
- ECO4
Broxtowe Borough Council
Location: Broxtowe Borough Council ward map
Broxtowe Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Broxtowe Borough Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
The council does however have a housing acquistions policy to help them purchase empty homes to bring them back to habitable housing and increase the available social housing stock in Broxtowe.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Unfortunately, there is currently no additional support in Broxtowe Borough Council through any housing or energy grants.
Charnwood Borough Council
Location: Charnwood Borough Council ward map
Charnwood Borough Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, empty homes grants and loans are available in Charnwood for specific properties.
The council are looking for two bedroom empty properties, and will provide via a partnership grant, up to £15,000 for the cost of works to bring the property back in to use. Terms and conditions apply, including the grant covers 50% of the works and the property must be made available to rent after the works have been completed to make the property habitable.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They also provide home repair assistance and home safety grants for the elderly to help make homes safe.
Charnwood Borough Council are also providing a range of support and signposting to access grants for energy efficiency improvements to help improve the standard and EPC ratings to C for local homes, including:
- Home Energy Retrofit Offer (HERO)
- Green Living Leicestershire Home Upgrade Grant
- Solar Together (for discounts on installation of solar energy)
- ECO4
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
Full details of Charnwood Council support for energy efficiency improvements can be found here.
Chesterfield Borough Council
Location: Chesterfield borough council ward map
Chesterfield Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Chesterfield Borough Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do though have a housing renewal policy which outlines their approach to housing (including empty homes) locally.
Chesterfield Council, unlike some other regional councils, also provide up to 12 months exempt council tax for properties that require major works or structural repairs.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Although Chesterfield don't currently have any energy efficiency grants, they are in the process of applying to central government for Warm Homes Grant funding. Updates for their energy efficiency grants are available here.
For disabled residents, Chesterfield council does provide a range of support including:
- Discretionary disabled person's relocation assistance
- Discretionary disabled facilities loan
- Discretionary disabled facilities top up grant
- Discretionary minor adaptions grant
Derby City Council
Location: Derby City Council ward map
Derby City Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, empty homes loans are available in Derby City Council for specific properties (details can be found on page 17 of their empty homes strategy policy document).
Up to £20,000 is available as an interest-free loan for a home to be renovated and bought back in to use as a main home as a rental property (so not for use as a holiday let or serviced accommodation business).
Derby City Council also offer additional services for empty home owners to consider including:
- Property acquisition - they can buy the property directly with funding available and no chain
- Tenant finder service - the council work with Derby Homes to help find tenants for owners.
- Private sector leasing - they have partnered with YMCA Derby to provide a long-term leasing scheme for property owners with guaranteed rents.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Derby City Council do provide additional support and funding for landlords and home-owners including
- ECO4 Grants support - to help fund replacement boilers, new boilers and insulation
- Property flood resilience grant scheme - up to £5,000 to help qualifying homes and businesses more resilient to flooding
Learn more about Derby's property market, rental yields and best buy-to-let areas in our detailed location review.
Derbyshire Dales District Council
Location: Derbyshire Dales District Council ward map
Derbyshire Dales District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available across Derbyshire Dales District Council through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an empty homes officer and in 2024 council tax records indicated there were approximately:
- 968 properties that have been empty for 6 months or more in the district.
- 304 properties that have been empty for 2 years or more in the district.
- 120 properties that have been empty for 5 years or more in the district.
- 66 properties that have been empty for 10 years or more in the district.
source: Derbyshire Dales Council Website
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Warm Homes Grant funding is available for home owners and landlords in the Derbyshire Dales region to help low income households improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
This is for properties with an EPC rating of D or worse and for landlords would require a 50% contribution.
East Lindsey District Council
Location: East Lindsey District Council ward map
East Lindsey District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in East Lindsey through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Their empty homes strategy was from 2014-2018 and we weren't able to locate a new one on their website.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They have a Home Energy Advice and Retrofit Team (HEART) although no specific mention of grants or funding available for energy efficiency improvements on their website.
Erewash Borough Council
Location: Erewash Borough Council ward map
Erewash Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Erewash through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an empty homes page on the Erewash Council website, although they are in the process of updating their housing policy.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Warmer Homes grant funding is available in Erewash for owner-occupiers in the region to help improve the heating efficiency of local homes and reduce bills. This is fully funded and is means tested for properties with low EPC ratings (D or lower) and low-income households.
Gedling Borough Council
Location: Gedling Borough Council ward map
Gedling Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Gedling through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an empty homes office and have been actively working to reduce the number of empty homes in the Gedling region as shown on page 19 of the Gedling Housing Delivery Action Plan. The total number of empty homes at April 2024 was 878 properties.
They have a matchmaker scheme in place to match owners of run-down empty properties with investors. This includes an active empty homes list for those interested in buying a run down home to refurbish and let.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: For hard to heat homes, Gedling council provide access to funding and support with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG). This is means tested and can include a range of insulations improvements including external wall insulation and changing old heating (like oil heating) to more modern Air Source Heat Pumps or solar PV Panels.
Harborough District Council
Location: Harborough District Council ward map
Harborough District Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, empty homes grants are available in Harborough Districty Council
They have an empty homes strategy although this looks to be from 2015 and they are currently consulting residents on Harborough Council's new empty homes and housing strategy.
Currently their looks to be grants available for property owners to bring local run-down empty properties back in to use to be rented out including:
- Fire safety grants
- Empty property grants to accredited landlords
- Landlord property improvement grants
Source: Harborough District Council
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) are available in Harborough via the Green Living Leicestershire Partnership. This is to improve the energy efficiency of local qualifying homes and reduce heating costs for those homes with EPC's rated D or worse.
High Peak Borough Council
Location: High Peak Borough Council ward map
High Peak Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in the High Peak region through any local grant, funding or lease schemes.
They do have a private sector housing policy and an empty homes policy, however support is limited to signposting to services like estate agents and letting agents to sell or rent your property.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: High Peak Borough Council did previously provide support with the Green Homes Grant although this ended for new applicants in September 2024.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
Location: Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council ward map
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Hinckley and Bosworth through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
However, they do provide funding to help home improvements for private homeowners who can't afford to carry out repairs. Details below.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Home improvements and grants and funding is available in Hinckley and Bosworth for owner-occupiers up to £30,000.
Financial assistance is subject to terms and conditions, is interest free and on completion of works would involve a charge on the land registry which the cost of works are repayable once you sell the property.
This can cover works including damp proof course, roof repairs, electrical re-wiring, heating repairs and insulation.
Leicester City Council
Location: Leicester City Council ward map
Leicester City Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Leicester City through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
However, they do provide funding to help home improvements for private homeowners who can't afford to carry out repairs. Details below.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Home improvements funding is available in Leicester for vulnerable home owners up to £10,000 in the form of an interest free loan payable when the property is sold.
Learn more about Leicester's property market, rental yields and best buy-to-let areas in our detailed location review.
Lincoln City Council
Location: Lincoln City Council ward map
Lincoln City Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Lincoln City through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Home Energy Upgrade Scheme is available in Lincoln from £10,000 to £25,000 to improve the energy efficiency of a home where there is no mains gas. If you have a gas boiler then you maybe eligible for the ECO4 grant.
Learn more about Lincoln's property market, rental yields and best buy-to-let areas in our detailed location review.
Mansfield District Council
Location: Mansfield District Council ward map
Mansfield District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Mansfield through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Mansfield District Council provide support and access to a couple of energy improvement grants for local residents including:
- Warm Homes on Prescription Project
- ECO4 Flex
- Home Upgrade Grant
These initiatives are there to help residents on low income to help improve their homes and reduce their energy bills. Full details for the three Mansfield energy grants and schemes here.
Melton Borough Council
Location: Melton Borough Council ward map
Melton District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Melton through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Melton council do have a housing strategy but don't currently provide additional support for owners of empty homes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Melton Borough Council are part of the Green Living Leicestershire Scheme which aims to support region and national targets towards net zero. It achieves this will multiple grants including:
- Home Upgrade Grant (HUG)
- Home Energy Retrofit Offer (HERO)
- Solar Together
- Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
Full details on how to apply for Melton residents here.
Newark & Sherwood District Council
Location: Newark & Sherwood District Council ward map
Newark & Sherwood District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Newark & Sherwood through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes. The Newark & Sherwood housing strategy doesn't include much information on it's empty homes strategy.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Newark & Sherwood District Council do provide a number of services to help residents and property owners (owner-occupiers and landlords) with improving energy efficiency, upgrading homes and reducing bills.
These include:
- Connected for Warmth Programme - Free home insulation and air source heat pumps
- Warm Homes on Prescription
- Green Grants
- Home Upgrade Grants (HUG)
Full details for Newark & Sherwood energy improvement grants can be found here.
North East Derbyshire District Council
Location: North East Derbyshire District Council ward map
North East Derbyshire District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in North East Derbyshire through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have some support available however, including a leasing scheme in place with Action Housing. This includes a long term lease with guaranteed rent and may include access to funding to bring empty run-down homes back in to use. Details of the partnership are mentioned on page 15 of the North East Derbyshire Council Empty Homes Strategy Plan (available to download from their website).
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They provide signposting to a few grants from central government that maybe available to local residents, home-owners and landlords, to help improve a properties energy efficiency, including Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and the Great British Insulation Scheme available here.
North Kesteven District Council
Location: North Kesteven District Council ward map
North Kesteven District Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in North Kesteven through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an empty homes officer and an empty homes working group to help support their wider empty homes strategy.Support for property owners is primarily in signposting services like estate agents, letting agents and trades that can help, sell, let or bring the property back to a liveable standard. They also provide support with arranging schedule of works and where required with planning and building control meetings.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They do provide support on Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) and give examples of significant financial contributions via this scheme, including an end-terrace house with solid wall construction receiving up to £38,000 in funding and a mid-terrace house with cavity wall construction receiving up to £22,000 in funding.
North Northamptonshire Council
Location: North Northamptonshire Council ward map
North Northamptonshire Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in North Northamptonshire through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: North Northamptonshire Council do provide some additional funding options including renovation grants up to £10,000 for local residential properties. These are means tested but can be used to improve run down homes by fixing category 1 hazards and category 2 hazards for vulnerable residents.
They don't provide any direct grants for improving energy efficiency although they do sign post to other groups and central government grants to help residents.
Nottingham City Council
Location: Nottingham City Council ward map
Nottingham City Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Nottingham through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
There is little on their website in way of information for support for empty property owners. Nottingham City Council does have a housing strategy and on page 38 they discuss their strategy to bring empty homes back in to use which includes an enforced sales policy.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They do provide support for applying for central government energy efficiency grants including ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Learn more about Nottingham property market, rental yields and best buy-to-let areas in our detailed location review.
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
Location: Oadby and Wigston Borough Council ward map
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Oadby and Wigston through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an empty homes strategy where they outline their approach, including considering leasing empty homes to help bring them back in to use, as mentioned on page 8 in housing options.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Funding is available for residents in Oadby and Wigston for Home Upgrade Grants, for properties with a grade D energy performance certificate (or worse) to help improve the property and reduce the costs of heating.
Rushcliffe Borough Council
Location: Rushcliffe Borough Council ward map
Rushcliffe Borough Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in Rushcliffe through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have an extensive empty homes strategy where they outline their approach and an empty homes guide for property owners.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Funding is available for local residents in Rushcliffe to improve the energy efficiency of their properties with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG). This is a partnership between Rushcliffe Borough Council and Nottingham Energy Partnership.
Rutland County Council
Location: Rutland Council ward map
Rutland County Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, an empty homes grant is available in Rutland up to £15,000 to help bring derelict, empty and run-down homes back into habitable use.
There are terms and conditions including once work has been completed, the house must be made available to those at risk of homelessness for a minimum of 5 years with rents set at the local housing allowance + 10%.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Rutland County Council are also supporting residents with funded upgrades to their homes for improved heating and insulation with the Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) from central government. This can include upgrades up to £38,000 per household.
South Derbyshire District Council
Location: South Derbyshire District Council ward map
South Derbyshire District Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, as of the last update we can find on their website, there is an empty homes grant in South Derbyshire up to £9,000.
They also provide a 12 month exemption for council tax for empty homes undergoing structural and major repair works to make the property habitable.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: They do also provide support and in partnership with Marches Energy Agency, provide access to a Green Homes Grant, to help improve the heating and efficiency for hard to heat homes.
South Holland District Council
Location: South Holland District Council ward map
South Holland District Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, there are empty homes grants in South Holland available up to £10,000.
They are subject to terms and conditions, including being means tested, you must have owned the property for more than 12 months and if the property is sold within 10 years you must repay the grant.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: The council has a Green Homes Team that is supporting residents with applying for available grants. The funding available and the recommend grants vary throughout the year but their support for energy efficiency grants can be seen on their site here.
South Kesteven District Council
Location: South Kesteven District Council ward map
South Kesteven Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in South Kesteven through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
They do have a local housing strategy and specifically an empty homes strategy, however their support for empty home owners is primarily around signposting to estate agents and letting agents to sell or rent the property.
On page 9 of their empty homes strategy however they do suggest
4.2.4. The Council may offer a voluntary lease and repair agreement to owners prior or offer a voluntary acquisition of the property in a staged approach to enforcement.
So there maybe some options to sell or lease your property to South Kesteven District Council.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: Like other local regional councils they do provide support for the Home Upgrade Grant which could provide funding up to £38,000 to local residents who qualify for energy improvements to their home.
West Lindsey District Council
Location: West Lindsey District Council ward map
West Lindsey District Council empty homes grants: ✅ Yes, according to the latest information we can find on their site, there are empty homes grants in West Lindsey available up to £10,000.
They have a couple of schemes to bring empty homes back in to use, including run-down and derelict properties owned by home-owners and landlords.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: The council provide support, funding and signposting for a number of grants to improve your home with more modern heating and insulation. The schemes include:
- Home Upgrade Grant (HUG)
- ECO4
- Great British Insulation Scheme
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Lincs 4 Warmer Homes
All energy and improvement grants can be found on their website here.
West Northamptonshire Council
Location: West Northamptonshire Council ward map
West Northamptonshire Council empty homes grants: ❌ Unfortunately, there are currently no empty homes grants available in West Northamptonshire through any local grant, funding, or lease schemes.
Additional homeowner, tenant and landlord grants: In partnership with Better Housing Better Health and Agility Eco, West Northamptonshire Council provide support for the ECO4 grants and Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) for local residents.
Empty & Derelict Homes Additional Support
There are some additional schemes that are worth looking at for both homeowners and developers working with run-down, derelict or simply long-term empty homes.
This includes
Reduced VAT
VAT is a big cost on traditional renovation work, increasing costs by 20%. When you considers a refurbishment can run in to the tens of thousands or even more for larger properties, this can be significant.
For long-term empty homes, builders can charge a reduced rate of VAT at only 5%. This is with the buildings and construction VAT notice 708. So make sure to share this with your refurbishment team if you are considering major works.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
This is a common cost for people buying properties. It can be significant and can be the difference between a buyer being able to purchase a particular home or not.
In the case of derelict homes. There are some, limited, occasions when SDLT may not be payable. There is specific criteria for this and the property needs to be deemed as derelict and uninhabitable. HMRC have provided some guidance on this here. You can also contact the SDLT team and ask to get clarity for your specific situation.
The aim here is to help provide solutions to help encourage empty, derelict and run-down homes back into use.
For more straightforward SDLT calculations you can see what the costs could be with our calculators
The Future (and History) of Empty Homes Grants
In September 2013 the Government provided funding via the Empty Homes Loan Fund, where loans were provided to homeowners to bring their properties back to a liveable standard. Yet, in August 2014, this was abolished due to a low take-up. Ever since then, the approach to empty homes seems to have changed from a carrot to a stick approach.
With newer government initiatives like doubling council tax on properties that have been empty for more than 12 months. This may seem like an easy win for councils, but the reality is homes stay empty not often out of choice but out of circumstances, personal and financial.
This isn't solved by increasing the burden on homeowners with extra costs.
In 2024, the number of long-term empty homes is reported as 265,061 in England, this is staggering.
When there are so many families and individuals in need of homes across the country, this is grim reading.
We all know of a building or development that looks awful or has become a burden to the community. In the UK, in the major cities and towns, we have a chronic shortage of housing, and the only way to tackle this successfully is in part by building new homes but also by turning derelict, vacant, run-down buildings back into habitable housing.
This is a win for everyone. It provides homes for local communities, creates work for local trades and ultimately improves the area.
Now you know which councils in the East Midlands may be able to assist with funding support, there are different property tools you can use to identify run-down homes, and techniques to use property portals like Rightmove, to specifically find houses that need renovation.
We hope this guide can help you on your way to bringing vacant empty run-down homes in your community back in to use.
Please share it with others to help raise awareness for the available support councils and government can provide to property owners and communities.
Other Regions
For an insight into the solutions at local authority level across the country, below are reviews on what grants, funding and lease schemes are available in other regions to help owners bring these homes back into use for residents.