Landlord heat pump guides by city
Every guide below starts from the 2021 Census: how many households rent privately, how many live in flats or converted houses, and what they heat with. Rules on grants and EPCs are national; the housing stock is local. Start with the rules if you are not sure which apply.
| City | Rent privately | Private rented homes | In flats | Electric heating only | Mains gas only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 22.6% | 95,719 | 21% | 11.7% | 74.2% |
| Bradford | 23% | 48,278 | 11.6% | 7.2% | 78.4% |
| Bristol | 26.2% | 50,213 | 21.9% | 13% | 75% |
| Cambridge | 31.4% | 16,495 | 30.7% | 11.6% | 75.1% |
| Cardiff | 24.3% | 35,785 | 20.2% | 10.4% | 78.4% |
| Coventry | 24.7% | 33,195 | 15.7% | 8.5% | 79.5% |
| Doncaster | 19.4% | 25,941 | 6.4% | 3.8% | 82.3% |
| Hull | 23.9% | 27,593 | 11.4% | 7.1% | 80.1% |
| Leeds | 21.8% | 74,402 | 17.5% | 10.7% | 76.7% |
| Leicester | 29.4% | 37,437 | 17.8% | 11% | 74% |
| Liverpool | 26.1% | 54,067 | 17.2% | 9.8% | 77.8% |
| London | 30% | 1,025,533 | 40.3% | 12.6% | 70.5% |
| Manchester | 32.3% | 69,403 | 28.1% | 18.3% | 67% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 22.8% | 27,978 | 24.8% | 10.1% | 74.8% |
| Norwich | 26.9% | 17,351 | 30.2% | 10.6% | 75.7% |
| Nottingham | 28.6% | 35,688 | 18.4% | 11% | 72.8% |
| Oxford | 32.2% | 17,762 | 24.1% | 12.1% | 75.7% |
| Plymouth | 22.6% | 25,921 | 16.2% | 7.4% | 80.9% |
| Portsmouth | 28.6% | 24,669 | 26.5% | 11.5% | 75.8% |
| Sheffield | 18.7% | 43,424 | 17.6% | 7.3% | 79.2% |
| Southampton | 29.2% | 29,860 | 34.7% | 21% | 66.2% |
How to read these figures
The census counts households, not buildings, and it records the heating a household reported in March 2021. A city with a high share of private renting has more landlords facing the planned EPC C standard, but the upgrade that suits each home depends on its type and its current heating. Use the table to see which of the traits below matter most where you let, then read the city page for the council's own licensing, planning and grant details.
Where each type of rental stands out
The same national rules land differently depending on the housing. These are the five cities on this site with the highest share of each trait, with the guide that deals with it.
Electric heating only
Highest shares: Southampton (21%), Manchester (18.3%), Bristol (13%), London (12.6%), Oxford (12.1%).
Homes heated only by electricity are where a heat pump changes the tenant’s bill most, because direct electric heat costs far more per unit of warmth. Storage heaters are the other option, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme can replace them. Storage heaters or a heat pump?.
Purpose-built flats
Highest shares: London (40.3%), Southampton (34.7%), Cambridge (30.7%), Norwich (30.2%), Manchester (28.1%).
Flats raise the practical questions first: where an outdoor unit can go, whether the freeholder consents, and whether permitted development allows one unit on the block. Air-to-air systems and shared or communal heat are often the realistic routes. Heat pumps for flats.
Terraced houses
Highest shares: Hull (46.7%), Portsmouth (43.4%), Coventry (39.9%), Liverpool (37.9%), Bradford (33%).
Older terraces are often solid walled and heat-hungry. The planned EPC standard scores fabric first, so insulation and draught-proofing may do more for the rating per pound before the heating system is changed. Solid wall rentals: heat pump or insulation first?.
Converted houses and shared buildings
Highest shares: London (11.1%), Bristol (10.2%), Plymouth (7.5%), Portsmouth (6.3%), Newcastle upon Tyne (6%).
Flats carved out of older houses combine the space limits of a flat with the fabric of an old house, and often a mix of owners. Consents and access usually take longer than the installation. Before you install a heat pump in a rental.
Oil heating
Highest shares: Doncaster (0.9%), Bradford (0.3%), Cambridge (0.2%), Leeds (0.2%), Norwich (0.2%).
Few city homes burn oil, but where they do the grant is higher: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays more for replacing oil or LPG in a home with no mains gas connection, for a limited period. Replacing oil or LPG heating in a rental.
Wales
Cardiff is in Wales. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales, but Welsh tenancies are occupation contracts under different housing law, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is England only, and the planned EPC C standard applies in England and Wales. Each Welsh city page sets out the differences.
Source: ONS Census 2021 via Nomis: TS054 tenure, TS044 accommodation type, TS046 central heating, read 8 October 2026. London is Greater London. Percentages are of all households.
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