Brighton & Hove City Council has introduced the Energy Performance Grant Scheme, providing eligible landlords with grants of up to £7,500. The funding is intended for energy efficiency improvements to bring rental properties up to a minimum EPC C rating.
In exchange for the grant, landlords are required to complete the improvement works and enter into a three-year lease agreement with the council. This allows the properties to be used as temporary accommodation.
The pilot scheme is available to landlords in Brighton & Hove whose properties have an EPC rating of D or below, and who own up to three properties. Grant funding is released upon the signing of the three-year lease, with the money repayable if the lease ends prematurely.
Councillor Gill Williams, cabinet member for housing, stated that the scheme will help increase the supply of temporary accommodation and improve the quality of private rented sector homes in the city. This initiative comes as the government has proposed that all private rented properties should meet EPC C targets by 2030.