What the £500-per-socket increase means for businesses and residential landlords in 2026.

Here’s some good news if you’ve been putting off installing EV charge points. From 1 April 2026, the grant rate jumped to £500 per socket across both the Workplace Charging Scheme and the Residential Landlord Chargepoint Grant — a 43% rise on the old £350 rate. Both schemes are confirmed to run until 31 March 2027, so there’s a clear window to take advantage.

In this guide we’ll walk through both schemes: who qualifies, how much you can claim, real-world cost examples, the chargers we recommend, and exactly how to apply. If you only deal with one side of this — workplace or rental property — feel free to skip ahead to the part that’s relevant to you.

Part 1 — The Workplace Charging Scheme

For businesses, charities and public-sector organisations. You can claim up to £500 per socket, across a maximum of 40 sockets, up to £20,000 in total per business.

If your business hasn’t yet installed EV charge points for staff or fleet vehicles, this is the best moment in years to act. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) has been meaningfully upgraded, and the new rates make a strong case for booking before the scheme closes on 31 March 2027.

Grant rate increased. From 1 April 2026 the WCS pays £500 per socket, up from £350. Any installation completed on or after that date automatically qualifies for the higher rate — regardless of when you first applied.

How much is the grant worth?

The headline figure is £20,000 per UK business — that’s £500 per socket across up to 40 sockets. It’s applied as a voucher discount, so your approved installer simply deducts it from your invoice and recovers it from OZEV directly. You never have to claim anything back yourself.

The grant covers up to 75% of the total purchase and installation cost (including VAT). Whichever is lower — the 75% cap or the £500-per-socket cap — is the figure that applies.

Who qualifies?

• Registered UK businesses of any size — sole traders, SMEs, including small accommodation businesses and large enterprises
• Charities and public-sector organisations
• You need dedicated off-street parking — staff bays, fleet bays or a customer car park
• You must use an OZEV-authorised installer (Ocunio Energy is authorised)
• Charge points must be available to staff or fleet vehicles, not reserved for a single director
• Available across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

What it looks like in practice

Two quick examples show how the numbers stack up.

A small office — 6 sockets

Six Hypervolt Home Pro 3 chargers, fully installed, come to around £8,500. The grant knocks off £3,000 (6 × £500), leaving a net cost of £5,500.

A fleet depot — 20 sockets

Twenty Easee Max chargers with load balancing and groundwork run to about £30,000. The grant covers £10,000 (20 × £500), bringing the net cost down to £20,000.

OZEV-approved chargers for the workplace

A few units we install regularly, depending on the setting:

• Hypervolt Home Pro 3 (up to 7.4kW) — ideal for offices and staff parking. Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth connectivity, solar-integration ready, Alexa voice control, IP66 weatherproof, and no earth rod required.
• Ohme Home Pro (up to 7.4kW) — best for smart-tariff users. Interactive LCD screen, Octopus Agile and Intelligent compatible, Type 2 tethered (5m or 8m) and all-tariff smart integration.
• Ohme ePod (up to 7.4kW) — a strong entry-level smart option. Built-in 4G and Wi-Fi with no SIM needed, tariff-optimised auto-charging, a carbon-intensity eco mode and a compact, minimalist design.
• Easee Max Charge Multiphase (7–22kW, three-phase) — built for fleet depots. Ultra-fast 22kW three-phase charging, dynamic load balancing, 4G / Wi-Fi / RFID management, IP54 weatherproofing and over-the-air updates.

How to claim the WCS grant

1. Book a free site survey. We assess your parking, electrical supply and requirements — no obligation.
2. We register with OZEV before installation. As your approved installer we submit the project, and OZEV issues vouchers valid for six months.
3. Installation. We fit your chosen charge points on a date that suits your business.
4. We submit the evidence pack. Photos, invoices and business registration — we handle all the documentation with OZEV.
5. Grant deducted from your invoice. OZEV pays us; you pay only the net figure. The typical timeline is four to eight weeks from survey to completion.

Ready to start? A free site survey, an OZEV-approved installer, and we handle the grant paperwork. Book your free survey at ocunioenergy.com before the scheme closes in March 2027.

Part 2 — The Residential Landlord Chargepoint Grant

For private residential landlords. You can claim up to £500 per socket, across up to 200 grants per financial year, worth as much as £100,000 in annual funding.

The Residential Landlord Chargepoint Grant is one of the most generous EV schemes still on the table. It lets you claim up to £500 per socket across up to 200 of your rental properties every financial year — turning EV charging into a genuinely affordable upgrade. And it’s an upgrade that tends to command higher rents and attract tenants who are actively searching for properties with charging.

Grant rate increased. From 1 April 2026 this grant also pays £500 per socket, up from £350. If you applied before that date, you can re-apply to receive the higher rate (tell your installer first). The scheme has been extended until 31 March 2027 — see the GOV.UK landlord customer guidance.

Watch out — some grants have closed. The Residential Landlord Infrastructure Grant and the Commercial Landlord Grant both closed on 31 March 2026. Only the Residential Landlord Chargepoint Grant remains open, and applications now go through the government’s new Find a Grant platform. Do not install the charger before OZEV confirms your eligibility. The scheme closure details are on Find a Grant.

How much is the grant worth?

You can claim £500 per socket, or 75% of the total purchase and installation cost — whichever is lower. This applies to up to 200 sockets per financial year, across any number of residential properties you let, which adds up to as much as £100,000 in annual funding.

A handy detail: a dual-socket charger counts as two sockets, so a single dual-socket unit at one property attracts £1,000 in grant funding. Roll that out across 10 properties and you’re looking at £10,000 back off your installation costs.

Who qualifies?

• Private residential landlords — individuals, companies, management companies, charities and housing associations
• You must be registered with Companies House or VAT-registered with HMRC
• Properties must be residential and let to tenants (commercial landlord grants have closed)
• Each property needs dedicated off-street or allocated parking
• You must use an OZEV-approved installer — Ocunio Energy is authorised
• You must install an OZEV-approved smart chargepoint
• The chargepoint must be installed after eligibility is confirmed — never before
• Available across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

What does the grant cover?

The grant covers the charger hardware (purchase and delivery), installation labour and materials, associated cabling and electrical work, and DNO application fees where they apply.

It does not cover infrastructure-only works (that route closed in March 2026), ongoing electricity costs, or signage.

What it looks like in practice

A single rental property — 1 socket

An Ohme ePod 7.4kW smart charger, installed, costs around £900. The grant takes off £500, leaving a net cost of £400.

A portfolio of 10 properties — 10 sockets

Ten Ohme Home Pro chargers, installed across the portfolio, come to about £9,000. The grant covers £5,000 (10 × £500), bringing the net cost down to £4,000.

“In 2026, tenants are actively filtering Rightmove for ‘EV charging’. Installing a charger future-proofs your rental income and reduces void periods — and right now the government pays half the cost.”

— Ocunio Energy landlord analysis, May 2026

Recommended chargers for rental properties

• Ohme ePod (up to 7.4kW) — great for a single rental property. Built-in 4G and Wi-Fi with no SIM needed, tariff-optimised auto-charging, tenant-friendly app control and a compact, unobtrusive design.
• Ohme Home Pro (up to 7.4kW) — well suited to longer-term tenants. Interactive LCD screen, compatible with all energy tariffs, Type 2 tethered (5m or 8m) and built-in safety protection.
• Hypervolt Home Pro 3 (up to 7.4kW) — ideal for HMOs and solar properties. Built-in solar integration, Wi-Fi / Ethernet / Bluetooth, IP66 weatherproofing and no earth rod required.

How the application process works (from 1 April 2026)

The process changed on 1 April 2026. The old OZEV portal has been replaced for landlord grants by the government’s new Find a Grant platform — and importantly, you now apply directly, rather than through your installer.

1. Book a free site survey with Ocunio Energy. We confirm the property is suitable, recommend the right charger and prepare a dated quote — now required as part of the application.
2. Apply via Find a Grant before installation. Create an account on the government platform and upload your evidence: proof of landlord status (Companies House or VAT registration), a tenancy agreement, proof of parking, and our dated quote.
3. Wait for OZEV approval (up to 10 working days). Do not begin installation before you receive confirmation. If the charger goes in before approval, the grant may be refused.
4. We carry out the installation. Once you’re approved, we fit your chosen chargepoint and handle all electrical work, commissioning and testing.
5. Grant deducted from your invoice. The £500 per socket is applied directly to your invoice, so you pay only the net cost. Repeat across your portfolio, up to 200 sockets per financial year.

At a glance — Workplace vs Residential Landlord

If you’re weighing up the two schemes side by side, here’s how they compare.

	Workplace Charging Scheme	Residential Landlord Grant
Grant rate (from Apr 2026)	£500 per socket	£500 per socket
Maximum sockets	40 across all sites	200 per financial year
Maximum total funding	£20,000 per business	£100,000 per year
Who applies	Installer on your behalf	Landlord via Find a Grant
Suitable for	Businesses, charities, public sector	Private residential landlords
Scheme closes	31 March 2027	31 March 2027
Application route	OZEV voucher via installer	Find a Grant platform

Add EV charging to your portfolio or workplace. Free site survey, OZEV quote preparation and full Find a Grant application support. Book your survey at ocunioenergy.com.