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Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan: in detail

Find out more about repayment periods, important loan conditions and supporting documents you will need to provide.

Repayment period and loan validity

  • You can choose how long to take to repay the loan, up to a maximum of eight years.
  • When you receive the loan offer, you have up to 12 months to carry out the work and claim your funding. We’ll consider extension requests on a case-by-case basis.

Important conditions

  • Funding operates on a first-come, first-served basis and is subject to availability.
  • After we receive your application, we assess whether you're eligible and carry out affordability and credit checks. If your application is successful, we will send you a loan offer.
  • You cannot start work on any installations until you’ve received the loan offer in writing.
  • You'll need to get an updated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) after you've had the work done, before we can issue loan funds.
  • The cost of the post-installation EPC can be added to the loan and you should note these costs in your application form.
  • You must ensure that any funding you receive does not breach European State Aid rules. If the European Commission decides that loan funding received is incompatible with European State Aid rules, you will need to pay it back in full, with interest at the applicable rate.
  • If your application is successful, you’ll need to pay an administrative fee of 1.5% of the total loan value, up to a maximum of £250.

Supporting documents - energy reports

An acceptable energy report must recommend the improvements being applied for. This report must be included with the application.

  • If applying for energy efficiency improvements and/or renewables systems, then the work must be recommended in an EPC or a Rental Property Energy Improvements Report.
  • If applying for an energy storage system, then the system must be recommended as suitable for your property in a Rental Property Energy Improvements Report or Home Renewables Selector report.

Where to obtain energy reports

  • Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) – to check if you already have a valid EPC for your property, or to search for EPC assessors in your area, check the Scottish EPC Register.
  • Rental Property Energy Improvements Report – these are only valid if issued by a Home Energy Scotland specialist advisor following a visit to your property.
  • Home Renewables Selector Report – these are only valid if issued by a Home Energy Scotland specialist advisor.

Remember, you’ll need to get an updated EPC after you’ve had the work done and before we can issue loan funds. You’ll need to pay for any required EPCs, but you can add the cost of these to the loan if you want to.

If you're planning to apply to any other financial incentive scheme alongside the loan you should check eligibility criteria to ensure you can meet the requirements of both. The loan is not linked to other schemes, eligibility for the loan is not indicative of eligibility for any other incentives and eligibility criteria may differ.

Energy efficiency improvements

If you’re making improvements to glazing, you can only use the Private Rented Sector Landlord loan to improve single glazed windows. Unfortunately, it’s not available for replacing or improving existing double glazing.

If loft and/or cavity wall insulation is recommended in the EPC, and can be installed, you must have this work carried out by the time you claim the funding. If loft and/or cavity wall insulation is not technically suitable for the property, your application must include information from a qualified professional explaining the reason why not. We will assess your eligibility for an exemption when we process your application.

Funding for secondary improvements is not available on its own – you need to combine these with one of the energy efficiency improvements or renewables systems listed on the Private Rented Sector Landlord loan overview page. Examples include cylinder thermostats, heating controls or hot water jackets.

Renewables systems, district heating connections and energy storage systems

Thinking of using a Private Rented Sector Landlord loan to fund a renewables system? We’ve got lots more information on our Smart Export Guarantee page.

  • Your loan can only fund one whole-house heating system.
  • Once your system is installed you will need to leave a rating and review of your installer (if listed) on the Renewables Installer Finder before claiming funding.
  • Solar PV and energy storage systems are only eligible for funding as part of a package together with a heat pump or high heat retention storage heaters. If you have already installed one or more of these improvements, you can apply for the remaining improvement(s) to complete the package.
  • You can only apply for one energy storage system per property, for example a heat battery or an electric battery.
  • You must either apply for a renewables system as well, or have an existing system that it can connect to.
  • In your application, you must include a letter of suitability from a Home Energy Scotland specialist advisor confirming that an energy storage system may be suitable for your property.
  • Solar PV and energy storage systems are only eligible for funding as part of a package together with a heat pump or high heat retention storage heaters. If you have already installed one or more of these improvements, you can apply for the remaining improvement(s) to complete the package.
  • The district heating scheme must be powered fully or partially by a renewable source of energy and the scheme must be approved for funding under this loan scheme.
  • The fuel mix must include a minimum proportion of renewable energy sources. District heating connections are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Please phone 0808 808 2282 for more information.

Loans are administered by Energy Saving Trust. Successful loans are subject to an administrative fee of 1.5% of the total loan value, up to a maximum of £250. The fee will automatically be added to the loan value and included in the amount that you will need to repay. Applicants with five or less properties in their portfolio will not be subject to interest. Applicants with six or more properties in their portfolio will be subject to interest at a rate of 3.5% APR.

Get in touch

Call us on 0808 808 2282 or request a call back today. You can only get an application form from our advisors and they’ll also help with any enquiries you may have.

Loan overview

Find out who can apply, how much you can borrow and what types of improvements you can make.

Choosing the right installer

Find out about the specific requirements installers need to have, as well as certain things you must do to apply for the loan.