Who owns and who rents
| Tenure | Liverpool households | Liverpool | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 97,041 | 46.8% | 61.6% |
| Social rented | 54,758 | 26.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented | 54,067 | 26.1% | 20.3% |
| Shared ownership | 1,378 | 0.7% | 1.0% |
Within social renting, 9,355 households rented from the council or another local authority and 45,403 from other social landlords such as housing associations. Renting, social and private together, accounted for more households than owning, the reverse of the national picture.
If you rent privately
The heating system belongs to the landlord, so the decision is theirs, and so is any application. A tenant can still move things along. Liverpool City Council describes its Warm Homes: Local Grant as helping homeowners and private renters, so a privately rented home rated EPC D to G, with a household that meets one of the scheme's pathways, may qualify. The landlord would need to agree to the work. Showing the landlord the council's page, and the property's EPC, is a reasonable first step.
Practical questions for a tenant to raise with a landlord: who arranges access for the survey and installation, whether the tariff will change, who is shown how to use the controls, and who to call if the system needs attention. A heat pump is run differently from a gas boiler, usually steadily rather than in bursts, and the tenant is the one living with it.
If you rent from the council or a housing association
Social housing is heated and maintained by the landlord, so decisions about heat pumps sit with the landlord. GOV.UK lists social housing among the properties the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cannot fund. The council's description of its Warm Homes: Local Grant names homeowners and private renters, not social tenants. If you want to know whether your home is in line for a heat pump, ask your landlord.
If you are a landlord
GOV.UK's eligibility page for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme says the owner must own the property, including a property rented out to tenants, and must be replacing fossil fuel or electric heating. The installer applies on the owner's behalf. For a Liverpool rental, the questions are the same as for any home in the city, with two more: whether the tenancy allows access for the work, and how the tenant will be shown the system.
- Check the property's EPC and whether a Warm Homes: Local Grant pathway could apply to the tenant household.
- Run the street check for the property: conservation area, listing and the position of the outdoor unit.
- In a building of flats, check the lease and the freeholder's consent before getting quotes.
- Ask the installer for the heat-loss calculation, the MCS 020 a) result and the cylinder position in writing.
Leaseholders and shared owners
Owners of flats on a long lease are owners for most purposes, but the building usually belongs to a freeholder, and the lease will set out what needs consent: an outdoor unit on an external wall or roof, pipes through common parts, and changes to the electrical supply. Get that consent in writing before paying for a survey. The 1,378 Liverpool households in shared ownership in 2021 are in a similar position, with the housing provider's consent usually needed as well.
Why tenure matters for the city as a whole
A grant that excludes social housing and depends on an owner's decision reaches fewer households in a city where most people rent. That may be one reason the Boiler Upgrade Scheme's count for Liverpool is modest, and why a council scheme that names private renters matters here more than in a city where most households own.