LEAP Boiler Scheme: Eligibility, Referrals and What It Covers

The LEAP boiler scheme helps qualifying homeowners repair or replace a broken gas boiler when suitable emergency funding is unavailable. Its official pages currently say the scheme is open. Access requires LEAP energy advice and a referral, followed by assessment and approval. It is not a guaranteed free boiler offer.

InstantGrant is an independent grant information and application support service. We are not the government, LEAP, AgilityEco, an energy supplier or an installer. We do not administer the LEAP boiler scheme, make its funding decisions or guarantee a referral or installation.

Last checked: 8 October 2026. This guide distinguishes LEAP's general advice service from its more restricted boiler support. Availability and funding must be confirmed for your postcode.

What is the LEAP boiler scheme?

The LEAP boiler scheme is an assessed repair and replacement service within the Local Energy Advice Partnership programme. AgilityEco delivers LEAP with its partners. The boiler support is financed by energy companies through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives, and is intended for qualifying households facing a broken boiler and difficulty accessing suitable emergency help.

LEAP also offers energy and money saving advice. Depending on the household, that wider support can include help with benefits, energy bills, practical energy saving measures and referrals to other services. Qualifying for advice does not mean every additional service is available.

A useful way to approach LEAP is to explain the heating problem and the household's circumstances together. The advisor needs to understand why the loss of heating is difficult to manage, rather than simply the boiler's age or model.

Is the LEAP boiler scheme open in October 2026?

LEAP's dedicated boiler page and general application page both state that the boiler scheme is open when checked on 8 October 2026. This confirms a current enquiry route, rather than funding for every applicant. Referral, eligibility evidence, technical assessment and approval still determine whether work can proceed for a particular home.

Some older council pages and search snippets still describe the scheme as closed. Check the operator's current information and speak to LEAP before relying on an older winter leaflet.

Do not assume a closing date from a previous funding season or treat an open scheme as a confirmed installation appointment. Ask whether referrals are being accepted locally and what happens after your advice call.

Who qualifies for LEAP boiler support?

LEAP's current eligibility page describes homeowners with a broken boiler and no heating, receiving a listed means tested benefit or having total annual household income below £31,000. It also requires a resident aged 65 or over or under five. Additional heating, property risk and alternative funding checks apply before a referral is approved.

Universal Credit and Pension Guarantee Credit are among the benefits listed for boiler support. Use your current award information and ask LEAP which evidence it needs. Do not assume a benefit accepted for general energy advice is also accepted for the boiler service.

LEAP's winter advice article also mentions significant health problems or disability when describing vulnerable households. Its main eligibility page publishes a narrower age condition. If your need relates to health and nobody meets that age condition, ask the advisor which current pathway applies rather than assuming approval or ruling yourself out.

How do I apply for the LEAP boiler scheme?

Start with LEAP's energy advice service or a recognised LEAP referral partner. The public form requests general LEAP support; it does not bypass the boiler referral process. An advisor checks your circumstances and evidence before considering onward help. A boiler referral is followed by assessment and a separate decision on the recommended work.

1. Contact LEAP. Use the general application form on applyforleap.org.uk or call the appropriate LEAP number.

2. Describe the loss of heating. Explain whether the boiler has stopped completely or fails intermittently, and who lives in the home.

3. Take part in the advice appointment. LEAP considers the wider household situation as well as the boiler problem.

4. Provide requested evidence. Have ownership, income or benefit information and relevant household details available.

5. Follow the referral arrangements. If appropriate, LEAP or its partner progresses the boiler enquiry for assessment.

6. Wait for the work decision. A recommendation to repair or replace the boiler still requires funding approval.

LEAP contact numbers: England and Wales: 0800 060 7567. Scotland: 0800 029 4543. The published general enquiry email is support@applyforleap.org.uk.

You can ask for help on behalf of someone else through the general LEAP service. Make sure the person understands the enquiry and consents to their information being shared. Do not describe a form submission as an approved boiler replacement.

What evidence should I have ready?

Have information ready to show ownership, financial eligibility, household circumstances and the heating problem. LEAP requires eligibility evidence before advisors can make a boiler referral, but the exact documents should be confirmed with its team. Preparing accurate details helps the advisor decide the next step without treating incomplete information as approval.

• Your name, address, postcode and a reliable contact number.

• Evidence of homeownership in the format LEAP requests.

• A current benefit award notice or the household income evidence requested.

• Information about the resident who meets the relevant age or vulnerability criteria.

• The boiler's make and model, if you know them.

• Any existing engineer's report, safety notice or written description of the fault.

• Details of other funding enquiries and why that help is unsuitable or unavailable in time.

An engineer's report can be useful if you already have one. Do not assume you must pay for a new report before contacting LEAP. Ask what assessment the scheme will arrange and what evidence it needs from you.

What does the boiler funding cover?

LEAP's boiler funding is limited to the approved repair or replacement of the boiler. Its dedicated scheme page excludes wider heating improvements such as replacement radiators, pipework and controls. Ask the appointed provider to explain the agreed scope, especially where faults elsewhere in the system could prevent heating from working properly.

For example, a failed boiler and a leaking radiator are two different problems. Before work is agreed, ask whether repairing the boiler will restore heating and how any separate defect will be handled.

LEAP describes a separate Heating Tune-Up service within its wider support. Do not combine that service's possible measures with the boiler scheme's funding limits. An offer under one part of LEAP does not automatically include another.

Is LEAP boiler replacement free, and what happens afterwards?

LEAP describes approved boiler support as funded help, but the offer depends on assessment, available funding and a property cost threshold. It is not a fixed cash grant paid to the homeowner. Confirm exactly which work is approved and whether separate defects or additional work could create costs outside that offer.

No household should budget on a particular cash amount simply because it meets an initial criterion. Ask for the approved work, installer details and any excluded costs in writing.

LEAP states that boilers installed through its boiler scheme have a two year manufacturer's warranty. Annual servicing is recommended. Ask how the warranty is registered, what maintenance conditions apply and who to contact if the boiler fails after installation.

Keep the installation paperwork, operating instructions and warranty information together. A funded installation does not mean future servicing or every repair outside the warranty will also be funded.

Explore Heating Support for Your Home

InstantGrant provides independent information about heating support. For the LEAP boiler referral itself, contact LEAP or its recognised partners. We do not administer LEAP referrals or decide its funding.

How does LEAP differ from ECO4 and the Warm Home Discount?

LEAP boiler support, ECO4 and the Warm Home Discount bill rebate serve different purposes and have separate application rules. LEAP addresses qualifying boiler breakdown cases through its advice and referral programme. ECO4 assesses energy improvement projects. The Warm Home Discount rebate reduces an eligible electricity bill rather than paying for a replacement boiler.

LEAP's boiler service can be relevant where another emergency funding route is unsuitable, including an unaffordable contribution or a wait that does not meet the household's circumstances. Explain any existing enquiry to the advisor rather than assuming you must qualify for ECO4 first.

If you explore ECO4 as a separate option, read our guides to checking ECO4 eligibility and understanding ECO4 approval. LEAP uses its own referral and funding process.

Where is LEAP available, and what are the national alternatives?

LEAP's general service lists England, Wales and Scotland, with separate contact numbers for Scotland. Local coverage and access to boiler funding should be confirmed for the property's postcode. Northern Ireland is outside the service area described on LEAP's application page, so households there need their own local heating support routes.

Alternatives do not necessarily provide the same work. Nest can consider certain boiler repairs or replacements where heating or hot water is absent. Warmer Homes Scotland uses its own eligibility assessment and restrictions. Council low carbon heating programmes should not be treated as grants for a new gas boiler.

How do I stay safe while waiting for help?

A funding enquiry is not a substitute for a safety response. Stop using a gas appliance you suspect is unsafe and arrange appropriate help. Gas work must be carried out by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. Tell LEAP about the household's urgent circumstances, but do not assume a same day installation.

Read the HSE gas safety guidance for homeowners for advice on unsafe appliances and competent gas engineers.

Do not remove the boiler casing or attempt gas repairs. If an engineer has issued a safety notice, retain it and follow the instructions provided.

Verify any organisation claiming to represent LEAP through the official contact route. Ask who will visit, what the appointment is for and what information is needed before sharing sensitive documents.

Common misconceptions about LEAP boiler funding

Most misunderstandings arise from confusing LEAP's broad advice service with its restricted boiler support. An advice appointment, a qualifying benefit or an open scheme does not establish a replacement entitlement. Check the current boiler criteria, referral requirements, proposed work and funding decision before treating an enquiry as an installation offer.

• “Anyone receiving LEAP advice gets a boiler.” The boiler service has additional eligibility and suitability tests.

• “Being over 60 is enough.” The current boiler eligibility page specifies a resident aged 65 or over or under five, alongside other criteria.

• “The public form directly books a replacement.” Access starts with energy advice and a referral.

• “Boiler funding includes new radiators and controls.” Those wider improvements are outside this boiler funding.

• “Receiving the Warm Home Discount guarantees LEAP support.” The bill rebate and boiler service have different rules.

Frequently asked questions

LEAP questions should be answered using the criteria for the particular service being requested. General advice, boiler support and other improvements are assessed separately. The answers below help you prepare an enquiry, but the LEAP team must confirm your current pathway, local availability and any approved work before installation is arranged.

Can tenants get a boiler through LEAP?

The published LEAP boiler criteria require homeownership, so tenants should not assume this service will replace their boiler. LEAP's general advice service can support private and social tenants. Report a heating fault to your landlord or housing provider and ask the advisor which support is appropriate for your circumstances.

Can I apply online for LEAP boiler support?

You can request general LEAP support through its public online form, but this does not directly approve boiler work. Access to the boiler service requires an energy advice appointment and an appropriate referral. Provide accurate details about the household and heating problem, then follow the advisor's instructions for the next stage.

Does PIP automatically qualify me for a LEAP boiler?

No. PIP is included among disability benefits relevant to LEAP's broader advice eligibility, but boiler support has separate financial, household, ownership and heating conditions. Ask the advisor to check the actual boiler pathway for your household. Do not treat eligibility for an advice call as confirmation of a replacement.

Can LEAP replace an LPG boiler?

LEAP's dedicated boiler page explicitly excludes LPG boiler replacement and warm air heating systems. Its published boiler criteria require gas central heating as the main heating source. If your equipment falls outside those conditions, explain the fuel and heating type to the advisor and ask about other suitable programmes.

Does my boiler have to be a certain age?

The published criteria focus on a broken boiler causing a loss of heat, rather than a universal age threshold. An old but working boiler does not qualify simply because of its age. Describe the fault accurately and let the scheme's assessment establish whether repair or replacement is appropriate and permitted.

How long does LEAP boiler replacement take?

No single guaranteed installation timeframe is published in the scheme information reviewed for this guide. The advice appointment, evidence checks, referral, survey and approval all affect progress. Ask the LEAP team for the current local process and explain any urgent household needs without assuming a referral confirms an installation date.

How InstantGrant can help

InstantGrant can help you understand heating support information and compare possible funding routes. We are independent of LEAP and AgilityEco, and we do not administer their boiler service. For LEAP access, use its official advice or referral route; for other programmes, the responsible provider must assess eligibility and confirm the offer.

Keep the household criteria, boiler fault and funding decision separate. That makes it easier to ask the right questions and understand whether the proposed help matches your immediate heating needs.

Check Other Boiler and Heating Support

InstantGrant does not award grants, install boilers or guarantee funded work.

About this guide: Published by InstantGrant using LEAP's boiler, eligibility, application, contact and advice pages; AgilityEco's LEAP service information; Newcastle City Council; GOV.UK Warm Home Discount and Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance; Ofgem ECO4 guidance; Welsh Government Nest guidance; Home Energy Scotland; and HSE. Last checked: 8 October 2026. The operator's current pages were used for scheme status rather than older search snippets. Confirm availability and the written work proposal before proceeding.