The short answer
No. No national scheme pays for a new roof covering. The schemes that exist pay for energy efficiency measures such as insulation, or for changes that help a disabled person live at home, and each has its own eligibility rules. Some have already closed. A grant can sit alongside roof work, but it will not fund the tiles, slates or felt themselves.
What the schemes pay for
The reason a roof grant does not exist is in how the schemes are built. Government money in this area is aimed at cutting energy use or helping a disabled person stay at home. A roof covering does neither on its own. Its job is to keep water out, and it is paid for by the owner.
That is why the national schemes name measures like loft insulation and heating, not re-roofing. Where a roof is touched during one of those measures, the roofer's work is treated as a separate matter from the grant. So a homeowner who sees an advert promising a free roof under a government scheme should treat it with caution and check the scheme on a GOV.UK or Ofgem page before agreeing to anything.
It is also worth saying plainly that eligibility depends on your household and your home, and nothing on this page promises that you will qualify for any of them. The aim is to show you where the real information is kept, so that you can check it yourself and are not relying on a salesperson's version.
If the roof is the immediate problem, the practical route is to get it assessed and priced first, then look at whether any energy measure can be added to the same visit.
ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme
The Energy Company Obligation, known as ECO4, is a scheme run through Ofgem that pays for energy efficiency measures in eligible households. Ofgem says it will run until 31 December 2026. After that date it should not be treated as a source of money, and any installer who offers it for later work needs to explain on what basis.
The Great British Insulation Scheme is the one most often mixed up with a roof grant, so its position is worth stating clearly. It has ended. GOV.UK's page says installations had to be complete by 31 March 2026, when the scheme ends. Anyone still quoting it as open is working from an out-of-date page.
Both schemes are about measures like insulation. In a loft they could relate to the roof space, but they did not pay for the covering above it.
If you are told that a scheme will cover a new roof, ask for the scheme name, the date of the page that says so and the name of the body that runs it. A genuine scheme can answer all three. Our guide to insulation when re-roofing sets out what goes into the roof space when a covering is renewed.
Warm Homes: Local Grant and the wider plan
The current scheme to look at is Warm Homes: Local Grant. GOV.UK describes it as support for insulation, with an income test: household income must usually be £36,000 a year or less. It is a grant for measures that keep a home warm, and a re-roof is not among them. Check the GOV.UK page for the current list of measures and the way to apply, because the details can change.
You may also see the Warm Homes Plan mentioned, which GOV.UK describes as a £15 billion programme. It is a policy framework, and for a homeowner the relevant question is which individual scheme sits under it and whether you meet its rules.
One related point is VAT. Energy-saving materials installed in a home are zero-rated for installations between 1 May 2023 and 31 March 2027, and move to the reduced 5 per cent rate from 1 April 2027. That relief applies to qualifying energy-saving materials, not to a roof repair in general, and our answer on VAT on roofing work goes through it.
When any grant is involved, the contract for the grant work and the contract for roof work should be kept separate in writing, so you know who is responsible for what.
Disabled Facilities Grant, and what to do next
The Disabled Facilities Grant is a different kind of help. GOV.UK describes it as funding for adaptations to a home so that a disabled person can live there more easily. It is applied for through the local council, and eligibility is assessed case by case. It is not a way to fund a new roof, though a roof may need work when an adaptation such as a loft or extension is carried out.
The order that works for a homeowner who needs a new roof and wants to know about funding is as follows:
- get the roof surveyed, so you know if the roof needs repair or full replacement;
- ask whether any insulation or energy measure belongs in the same project;
- check each scheme on its GOV.UK or Ofgem page for its current status;
- keep the roofing contract and any grant paperwork separate.
The survey comes first at Fortis, and you are shown pictures and measurements of the roof itself before any decision. One total price in writing follows. For a picture of what the work may cost, see how much roof work should cost, and start from the homepage for the rest of our services.
