Adapt Your Property Grant 2024 to 2025 - Application Guidance

Background

We are keen to encourage empty buildings in our city and town centres to be brought back into use for economic and socially productive purposes. To encourage development, we are able to provide grant funding towards the cost of capital repair and conversion works. 

Grants of up to £75,000 (or 50% of the costs whichever is the lesser) are available to support the conversion of underused or vacant town and city centre commercial space for new commercial, community or residential uses.

Who can apply?

Applications can be submitted by property owners and tenants (with at least 5 years unexpired term on their lease). This can include business owners, local or national constituted groups, charities and constituted community or voluntary organisations.

What kind of projects are we looking to support?

Priority for support will be given to projects which demonstrate how they will enhance/contribute to:

• local economy and business
• local placemaking and townscape
• deliver wider community benefit

A place-based review will be undertaken as part of the assessment. This means the need, demand and impact of the proposed end use in the project location will be considered as part of the assessment process.

Projects which demonstrate deliverability through having gained necessary consents and having undertaken procurement where appropriate will be prioritised for support.

Applicants should have an ability to complete the project within 12 months of grant award.

How much would the grant be?

A grant of up to £75,000 (or 50% of the costs whichever is the lesser) for alterations, improvements to single properties is available and level of grant will be assessed based on need for intervention to overcome gaps in project viability.

At least 50% match funding from the applicant is required. For example, an application for a grant of £25,000 will have an overall total project cost of at least £50,000. The whole project can be of any size and there is no defined maximum project cost.

If your lease is between 5 and 20 years, the maximum grant you are able to apply for is £24,999.

Eligible costs include capital cost of the property conversion together with reasonable professional fees which are directly incurred in respect of the project concerned can also be claimed. In addition, unrecoverable VAT can also be included in the claim. All costs must be based on a QS report, fee proposal or construction tender.

What projects are eligible?

• Property must be located within Perth and Kinross geographic boundary. Projects within the city and town centres, and those which have significant placemaking impact, will be prioritised for support.
• Property must be below the necessary standard and be unlikely to be brought back into use without the proposed repair or conversion works being undertaken.
• Property must have been vacant or underused for at least 6 months prior to the date of the application for grant.
• All necessary property and regulatory consents must be secured (confirmed in writing prior to grant award).
• Retrospective applications for works already undertaken or started are not eligible and will not be considered.

Requirements

• Upon award, applicants will be required to undertake all necessary repair and improvement works.
• Upon award applicants will be required to demonstrate arrangements have been made for future maintenance as part of a planned maintenance schedule or lease conditions.
• Funded works must be completed and grant claim invoices received before the grant completion date stated within the grant offer. Perth and Kinross Council reserves the right to withdraw the offer of grant if the works are not completed within this timescale.
• If asked, applicants must be prepared to participate in a publicity initiative with Perth and Kinross Council to promote this grant scheme.

How to apply

Applications will be considered once the closing date has been reached. The Adapt Your Property Fund is a one-off non-recurring scheme in financial year 2024 to 2025.

Fund closing dates and a link to our application portal can be found on the Vacant Property Development web page.

Additional information can be obtained from our Vacant Property Development team by emailing VacantProperty@pkc.gov.uk.

What happens to my application?

During the application process, our Vacant Property Development staff may be in touch with the applicant to discuss any additional questions and/or to request additional information or supporting documentation.

Please note, failing to provide the information required in the application process may delay the process or render your application invalid.

How will I know if my application has been successful?

We shall firstly confirm by email that your application for a grant has been approved.

Our Legal and Governance Service shall then issue a formal offer of grant setting out the specific terms and conditions on which the grant is being provided and the circumstances in which it may require to be repaid. Acceptance of the grant offer will form a legally binding contract and we strongly recommend that you take your own independent legal advice in connection with this.

If unsuccessful, we will contact the applicant with reasons for declining the application.

Undertaking your project

Your project can only begin to be implemented once:

1. you have formally accepted the grant offer
2. the standard security has been provided (if applicable)
3. any other pre-payment obligations have been met

Funded works must be completed and grant claim invoices received before the grant completion date stated within the grant offer.

How do I claim the Adapt Your Property grant?

Prior to the grant being released, we must be satisfied that the funded work has been completed and applicants have met all of the conditions set out in the formal offer.

The grant can then be claimed by:

1. completing a claim form invoice (template will be provided)
2. providing evidence of the works being completed (such as photographs, a video or a site visit)
3. providing copies of invoices (with payment based on up to 50% of each invoice, depending on the overall project cost)
4. providing evidence that these invoices have been paid (such as a copy of the applicant's bank statement)

We will aim to transfer the grant funds direct to the bank account provided in the original application within 20 working days.

Grants are generally paid in arrears once all work has been completed, but instalments (up to one per month) can be organised to assist project cash flow.

Other funding

Other funding may be available for the repair of historic buildings located within the Perth Central and Kinnoull Conservation Areas through Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust. Further information and details of qualifying criteria requests should be made directly to Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust by emailing pkht@pkc.cov.uk or telephoning 01738 477082.

Other funding may be available for the repair and conversion of long-term unused properties located within Perth and Kinross through our Empty Homes Initiative. Further information and details of grant criteria can be found on our Empty Homes Initiative web page.

Please note:

• Each applicant will only be able to apply for one grant per property from the Adapt Your Property Fund which is a one-off non-recurring scheme in financial year 2024 to 2025.
• Property owners will be required to provide proof of title to the property and may also be required to provide evidence of equity in property so grants of over £25k can be secured.
• Tenants will be required to provide a copy of their lease together with their landlord's consent to the alterations.
• Any offer will be made subject to the general conditions set out in this guidance document and any other specific conditions included within the letter of offer.
• If the property is sold within 5 years of the payment, the grant shall have to be repaid in full to the Council.
• Applicants shall have to instruct their own solicitor and pay their own legal fees and outlays. Applicants will be required to provide confirmation of VAT status if seeking to claim unrecoverable VAT.
• The grant is given on the basis that Perth and Kinross Council shall only be responsible for paying up to 50% of the fees incurred up to a maximum of the grant award and on the understanding that they will under no circumstances be responsible for the remainder of the costs in the event of non-payment by the applicant.
• The Council reserves the right to reject the claim or withdraw grant funding if it becomes apparent that any of the grant award criteria are not being met or where the grantee has any outstanding debt due to the Council.