This document provides information on various grants that may be available to help fund home renovation projects in the UK and Ireland. Primary sources of renovation grants include local councils, which offer budgets for repairs but have differing eligibility requirements such as the property being neglected. Secondary sources include nonprofit home improvement agencies and charitable trusts focused on particular architectural styles or regions. Applying to multiple sources simultaneously may provide the best chance of obtaining a useful total grant amount, as success from any one source is not guaranteed. Grants for eco-friendly renovations also exist but demand currently outstrips available funds.

1. PROPERTY EXPERT - IN-HOUSE ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION SHEET
restoration grants
Not many people realise that there might be grants available to help
with renovating a property. They aren’t easy to find out about and
they are carefully screened to keep out property developers. This
means that the best approach is to plan the renovation that you want
regardless then look around to see if any grants will be available.
Don’t build plans around a particular type of grant as you may not get
it and that puts you back at the drawing board.
Primary Sources
Local or district councils are the main place to look for grants.
All have budgets for renovation grants and the restrictions on them differ from area to area.
Generally you will need to be able to show some or all of the following:
• the property is seriously neglected.
• the repairs are critical.
• the residents are vulnerable.
• there is no other way to afford them.
These grants are usually limited to five or ten thousand pounds although in some regions in Northern Ireland the upper
limit is £25,000.
The way that the money is used, should you get a local authority grant, is very important. You are not allowed to mention
to contractors that you are applying for a grant, or have got one, unless the council permits you to. You will have to pay for
the repairs up front and then reclaim against receipts, and the council will almost certainly inspect to see that the work has
been done as described.
Finally, it is exceedingly rare that grants are awarded retrospectively, so make sure you get a copy of your council’s rules
and follow them to the letter.
Secondary Sources
Councils are not the only sources of grants, however.
Home improvement agencies (HIAs) are non-profit-making organisations run by local authorities, charities and housing
associations. Occasionally they will make grants to private owners or tenants if they are disabled, elderly or on a low
income, to maintain, repair or adapt their homes. To see if there is an agency operating in your area, contact the Citizens
Advice Bureau (CAB) or ask your council.
You may find that there is a trust or charity that supports restoration of a particular architectural style or in a particular
geographical area. You might also find a local organisation that will fund a project even if it has no stated interest in
buildings, if it can be shown to benefit the community. Your main central library should have directories that will help you
find likely candidate trusts and charities.
If you are one of a number of properties and households thinking of doing a joint project, consider forming a housing co-
operative. All co-operative organisations have a remit to donate grants that foster the spread of the co-operative
movement, and so it’s possible to tap into those.
Restoration Help
If you are renovating an older property then your chances of getting a grant are higher, but then also
your renovation costs will be too!
Obviously English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw, the Northern Irish Environment and Heritage Service or the Republic
of Ireland’s Office of Public Works (depending on where your property is) are worth approaching. All will give grants to
support the restoration of important buildings but will also want to oversee the work to ensure that it is done in a
sympathetic manner. Bear in mind that they are all heavily over-subscribed as well, so there’s no guarantee of a payout.
The Heritage Lottery Fund is worth trying although they are usually connected with substantial public projects rather than
private dwellings. But if the property is in a prominent position in the community, they may assist.

2. Continued…2
One source for England and Wales that could be very useful is the Funds for Historic Buildings
website, www.ffhb.org.uk, although some of the sources listed there will also cover Scotland and
Northern Ireland. The FFB website also carries details of other sources for properties outside
England and Wales.
Eco-Friendly Grants
With the current concerns over climate change the grants system for ‘green’ household modifications in England and
Wales went through a recent overhaul, which bizarrely reduced the grants and the amount of money available. However,
in theory, you can still apply for grants to install systems such as ground source heat pumps, solar panels and wind
turbines.
The amount of money available does not cover the costs to the individuals and there isn’t enough to satisfy demand, but
perhaps this will change in time. In Scotland there is a similar scheme, the Scottish Community and Household Renewables
Initiative.
Go For the Aggregate Approach
Once you know what grants might be available and what your angle will be for approaching the sources, don’t make the
mistake of thinking that you’ll get one grant that will cover everything.
You are far more likely (and again, even more likely with an old or architecturally significant building) to have to put
together a whole raft of applications, some of which will fail and some of which may succeed. But put together, the
successful ones might amount to a useful sum towards your renovation.
Useful Links
http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/index.jsp?LGSL=135& - Government grants
https://www.gov.uk/green-deal-energy-saving-measures/overview - green energy grants
http://www.ffhb.org.uk - historic building funding
http://www.nihe.gov.uk - housing executive website
http://www.hlf.org.uk - Heritage Lottery Fund
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client information sheet no:150630-01