Warm Homes: Local Grant (WHLG) is the successor to the Home Upgrade Grant, delivered through participating English local authorities rather than centrally. It runs to March 2028 and targets EPC band D–G properties, aiming to lift them to Band C using RdSAP 10 methodology. What makes it materially different from ECO4 for landlords is the way portfolio ownership is treated.
We haven't found Cumberland named in DESNZ's published Warm Homes: Local Grant funding allocations — that doesn't necessarily mean no scheme exists (allocations and consortium arrangements have continued to be announced since the 2025 launch, and coverage isn't fully published everywhere), but it does mean you should check directly with Cumberland before assuming a property is eligible, rather than assuming coverage the way you could in an area with a confirmed allocation.
The rule most landlord software misses, and the reason a WHLG-eligible Cumberland rental can be worth more if you claim in the right order: your first qualifying WHLG property is fully funded, but every subsequent property in your portfolio typically requires a 50% landlord contribution (capped in most council pots at around £7,500 landlord-funded). If you have two Cumberland rentals that both qualify, choosing which one to claim first can be worth £3,000–£7,500 in real cash terms.
On top of that, a landlord's cumulative public subsidy — WHLG plus any other publicly-funded scheme — can't exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance ceiling of £315,000 across the current and previous two financial years. That sounds academic until you're running a five-property retrofit programme; at £30k–£60k of grant value per property, a mid-sized portfolio can hit that ceiling meaningfully before it's finished.
Cumberland covers a mix of urban and rural stock, so eligibility on a given rental depends as much on the property's EPC band and heating fuel as on the Cumberland criteria — a Victorian terrace on gas and an off-gas rural cottage produce very different funding paths.