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 Folkestone and Hythe 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 Folkestone and Hythe 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 Folkestone and Hythe 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 Folkestone and Hythe 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.
Folkestone and Hythe is one of several district councils inside Kent, and each district can adopt slightly different flexibility around the ECO4 rules. That matters if you own rentals across Kent — a property one district over could qualify under criteria that don't apply in the neighbouring one.