Anyone have a tenant successfully apply for an insulation grant?

I have tried very hard indeed, I have had several companies come out, have a look advise me of work done, say they will complete the paperwork to apply for the grant and then are never heard from again despite phoning, emailing, pleading … I have tried the ones recommended by the council and these firms have been just as bad. Lots of promises and then no result. I have given up and applied for a mortgage extension to fund the work myself in full for all my properties and even then I struggled to get qualified work people to do the job. I have put some improvements on hold until we get a clearer picture from the government about what environmental loops they expect us to jump through. I am happy to do my bit but it’s useless if the end result is a product that makes a property damp or too cold for tenants to live in, I know that it is unfashionable in the press but as a landlady I do actually care about my tenants! Anyway, rant over and short answer to your question - “No”!

I have no relevant experience to offer, but I would be wary about the precise terms of the grant - as the property owner I would want to be in charge of the contractors and oversee the project, as I have a vested interest in getting the work done well. A tenant may not have that same interest or have experience in managing contractors.

I used to work for a company that did insulation under ECO3. Had free loft insulation and free new storage heaters when some broke. Also had a substantial discount on internal wall insulation (before I worked for the company). All tenants were on benefits. Unfortunately the margins for the companies were getting smaller under each ECO round and we closed down with the lockdown.

If it is anything like applying for ECO grant for boiler replacement, we gave up. Had 3 companies come to quote, the "extras" they said were necessary (that would not be covered by the "grant" and therefore we would have to pay) came up to similar amount as our regular installer would have charged without the ECO grant. When i questioned one of them, they said the profit was so tight that they had to bump up the price of the extras for the job to be worthwhile. The time it takes them to do the grant application, and the extra training their installers had to do to qualify for "grant" work, increased their costs as well.

Reply to the comment left by Ararat at 10/12/2021 - 21:24
EXACTLY my experience ! At the end of the day as I see it the government are keen to be 'seeing' help tenants, but the reality is it is a grant chasing exercise for LL's which in the end is a total waste of time.
The companies I had quote said openly that they bump up the cost of the work to compensate for the ridiculous amounts of paperwork they have to do on their side for the vouchers/grants to be used. Others have simply refused to give a quote as the work is not paid for (by the grant) until way after the work has taken place and then they have to chase for it.
I am of the agreement that if I want the work done, best to go direct. You get a proper (not inflated) quote and if there are any probs along the way there is more chance of getting it resolved between yourselves. I also see a lot of 'new' companies coming on the scene to take advantage of this scheme - they might be government 'recommended' but with no previous history....I can only see trouble ahead.

Reply to the comment left by Emma Roodenberg at 10/12/2021 - 11:21
Ditto for me - I used council 'recommended' too. I am taking the sensible route and like you awaiting a proper understanding of what the hell the government are proposing, then I will take an educated look a the options.
The whole insulation/environmental issue is important, but the current blurb is totally REACTIVE. Until there is proper clarity - I remain in the position of status quo

I can see why our company wasn’t economically viable as we didn’t charge the end customer. The paperwork was unbelievable and would be rejected for eg writing the date as 1/1/21 rather than 01/01/2021. It was hard work.

As a LL I looked at the latest deal but having done the insulation there was nothing I could qualify for.

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 11/12/2021 - 12:16
I totally agree- We Landlords will foot the bill one way or another - I am aware of a Landlord who took advantage of a previous scheme - the work was not up to standard and the additional costs were higher than if their usual contractor had done all the work - They were not able to get hold of the original fitter afterwards either !