Landlords now have another year to apply for the government’s Green Homes Grant scheme.

The 12 months extension, announced last evening, follows complaints that a lack of Trustmark qualified builders meant thousands of projects would not be completed by the deadline of March 2021.

Now landlords and owner occupiers have until March 2022 to get their projects completed through the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme.

However the overall funding for the scheme has not been expanded so landlords are advised to get their applications in quickly.

The scheme funds up to two-thirds of energy-related improvements with a cap of £5,000.

Eligible work includes insulation of walls, floors and roofs, upgrading single window glazing to triple, and installing low-carbon heating systems .

The Green Homes Grant scheme comes just as the government is – separately – raising the minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes to C grade or higher from April 2025 for new tenancies unless they have a valid exemption.

“The Green Homes Grant scheme gives homeowners and landlords right across the country a cheaper way to make their homes more energy efficient and cut their bills – all while making their contribution to tackling climate change” says climate change minister Lord Callanan.

“Today’s announcement means an extra year to take advantage of this new scheme, helping households and tradespeople who can plan their workload and create new jobs in their communities.”