Is my flat eligible for a free heat pump? A checklist

If you own a flat and want to know whether a free heat pump may be possible, work through the seven tests below before you get in touch. Each one names the source, so you can read the wording yourself. It sits alongside our guides to free heat pumps for flats, 1 and 2 bedroom flats, a landlord’s rented flat and which homes may get a free heat pump.

How to use this checklist

The checklist only reports what the scheme rules test. It does not tell you that your flat is eligible, because several tests need facts we cannot see from here, such as how your flat is classified, what your old heating was and what grants the address has had. A free heat pump may be possible for an eligible flat, subject to survey and eligibility, and the offer terms in the box at the top of this page apply on top of the scheme rules.

The grant itself is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), run by Ofgem for England and Wales. GOV.UK lists £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, which it says is sometimes called an air-to-water heat pump, and describes the grant as taken off the amount you pay for installation. Whether anything is left to pay is confirmed in the quote after the survey. For the scheme in full, see our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

The checklist at a glance

Test 1: who owns the flat

GOV.UK says you must own the property you are applying for, including if it is a business, a second home or a property you rent out to tenants. So a landlord who owns the flat passes this test on the wording. Ofgem’s guidance adds that the owner confirms ownership, or co-ownership with the agreement of all other owners. If you rent your home from a landlord, you are not the owner, so on this wording you would not meet the ownership test yourself and the owner would need to be involved (that is our reading of the test, not a sentence in the sources). Our guide to a landlord’s rented flat covers that case.

Test 2: social housing and shared ownership

The regulations say an eligible property is not social housing, using the meaning in section 68 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. Ofgem’s guidance describes social housing as homes owned or managed by councils or local authorities, housing associations or registered social landlords, and other organisations providing housing at below market rent or through shared ownership schemes for people in housing need.

Two points matter for flat owners:

• Right to Buy. Ofgem says a property sold through Right to Buy (or similar schemes) and now privately owned is not classified as social housing and may be eligible.
• Shared ownership. The offer terms in the box at the top of this page say shared ownership isn’t eligible for ByEco’s offer. The scheme sources are narrower: they treat shared ownership as social housing where it is run by an organisation for people in housing need. Ofgem’s list of what the installer must collect also contains the line “declaration that the property is not social housing or has shared ownership”, which can be read more than one way, so we do not rely on it. If you own a share, say so at the start.

Test 3: what the heat pump must replace

GOV.UK says you must be replacing fossil fuel heating systems, such as oil, gas, electric or LPG. Ofgem’s guidance is more specific: the previous system must have been fossil fuel-based, such as gas, oil, LPG or coal, or an electric heating system that does not include a heat pump, for example storage heaters, electric panel radiators or electric boilers. Two situations are ruled out:

• An existing heat pump. Ofgem says that if the previous heating system includes a heat pump providing space heating, the property will not be eligible. GOV.UK says you cannot get a grant to replace a low carbon heating system.
• A hybrid system. GOV.UK says you cannot get a grant for a hybrid heat pump system, for example a combination of gas boiler and air source heat pump. Ofgem’s guidance is narrower: fossil fuel hybrids are not eligible, while a hybrid-capable heat pump installed as a standalone unit, without a fossil fuel appliance, may be eligible.

Ofgem also says installers must obtain evidence of the previous heating system, so be ready to say what heats the flat now and, if it has been removed, what it was.

Test 4: earlier government funding

GOV.UK lists a property already given government funding or support for a heat pump or biomass boiler as one you cannot get a grant for. The regulations phrase it as no previous grant from public funds for a heat pump or biomass boiler at the same address. Ofgem’s guidance adds that a property is not eligible if a previous BUS grant was received at the address, if the heat pump was promoted under the Energy Company Obligation, or if it has received any other grant from public funds towards purchase or installation costs.

Funding for something else does not count against you. GOV.UK says you are still eligible if you have already had funding to make your property more energy efficient, for example by insulating it. If you are unsure what your flat has had in the past, ask the previous owner or your landlord, and tell us at the survey.

Test 5: new builds

GOV.UK says you cannot get a grant for most new build properties, and that new build properties which the developer is still building are not eligible. It adds that if you move into a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler, you may be able to get a grant for a heat pump under the scheme. Ofgem’s guidance table also lists new builds by developers as not eligible. If your flat is in a recent development, tell us the year it was completed and what heating it came with, because the answer turns on those details.

Test 6: ownership papers, tenants and the freeholder

Ofgem says the property owner must confirm several things before an application goes ahead, including ownership of the property, consent for the installer to make a voucher application, that the property is not social housing, and that there has been no previous support from public funds for a low carbon heating system. If the owner does not live in the property, they must also confirm they have informed the tenant of the impact of the installation, which matches the condition in regulation 14.

Leasehold and the freeholder. No source we read mentions leasehold, the lease or the freeholder. We searched GOV.UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme pages, Ofgem’s version 5.2 guidance and regulations 5, 14 and 15 and found nothing. So we do not say leaseholders qualify as a matter of scheme rules, and we do not say they are excluded. ByEco’s own offer terms, in the box at the top, say any lease or freeholder consent must be in place. Your lease may also require permission for work to the building or its exterior, so bring it to the survey and read permission for a heat pump in a flat.

Test 7: the survey and Ofgem approval

Two further checks sit after your own self-check, and neither can be done from a desk:

• The surveys. Ofgem says the installer must carry out an on-site assessment and be satisfied that the property and chosen technology meet all the eligibility requirements. ByEco’s offer terms add that our assessment and the installer’s heat loss survey must confirm the unit suits your flat. See what to expect from a heat pump survey.
• Ofgem’s decision. Under regulation 15 Ofgem issues a boiler upgrade voucher where a grant application is properly made, and must refuse one where it is not satisfied the regulation 14 conditions are met. This is why a self-check cannot promise a result.

The installer must give you a quote that includes the grant as an upfront discount, and that quote is where you see whether anything is left to pay. We do not state any size, noise, efficiency or hot water arrangement for a particular unit here, because those depend on the unit and the survey.

What does 1 or 2 bedrooms have to do with it?

We found nothing in the sources we read. We searched GOV.UK, Ofgem’s guidance and regulations 5, 14 and 15 for a bedroom test and found none; the grant amounts GOV.UK lists are set by technology, not by how many bedrooms the flat has. “1 or 2 bedroom” is ByEco’s own offer wording, so if your flat has three bedrooms, or a layout where the count is unclear, ask us how the offer applies. ByEco’s view is that smaller flats need less material and labour, which is why it can offer a heat pump free of charge for eligible properties, subject to survey and eligibility. That is a commercial explanation, not a scheme rule. See whether your home is small enough.

Why it is sensible to ask early

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not permanent, and these are the facts the sources give us:

• Final date. The regulations say Ofgem must refuse to issue a voucher after 31 December 2029.
• Budget. Ofgem cannot issue new vouchers once the budget threshold is met. If the available budget runs out, Ofgem may operate a queue, ordered by when an application is deemed properly made. The Secretary of State may also introduce a cap on the number of vouchers issued each quarter.
• Voucher validity. An air-to-water voucher expires three months after it is issued. GOV.UK words the limit differently, as 120 days from applying, so plan around whichever limit comes first.

Ofgem’s BUS monthly scheme update, with statistics to 31 October 2026 and last updated on 11 November 2026, lists £62,665,000 as the remaining budget for Year 5 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). Ofgem’s footnote says that figure includes all undetermined applications and vouchers issued yet to be redeemed, and that it is a dynamic value. The figure is described by Ofgem as dynamic because vouchers expire or return, so it is a snapshot; check the latest report. We are not forecasting when funds might be used.

So asking for your free assessment sooner may mean your application can be made while funding is available, if your flat is eligible. Rules and funding can change.

What to do next

Note your answers to the seven tests, then call 0161 710 4510 or use the contact page to ask for your free survey. Tell us the flat’s address area, what heats it now, who owns it, whether you own a share, and whether the lease or a freeholder is involved. The survey is free, and it is how we find out whether your flat is eligible and what would apply. For background, see our heat pumps and grants pages, or the guide to starting an application.

Worth asking any installer: how will you show I own the flat, what happens if my application is rejected, and what does the contract say about the grant? Ofgem’s guidance says that if an application is rejected, the installer’s ability to seek payment of the deducted amount depends on the contract between you and the installer.

Sources

Every figure on this page was checked against primary sources on 11 November 2026. Grant rules, planning rules and prices change — if you are reading this much later, verify before acting.

• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get
• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: check if you’re eligible
• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: how to apply
• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: guidance for installers
• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance for installers V5.2 (PDF)
• Ofgem — BUS monthly scheme update
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 5
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 14
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 15