High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) are a new power for local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups. If a commercial high-street property has been vacant for 366 days or more in a 24-month period, a local authority can instigate a ‘rental auction’ to find a suitable tenant for the property.
To facilitate the process, the government is providing grants to help local authorities to:
- create a high-street commercial vacancy register
- refurbish properties that are subject to a High Street Rental Auction to the required minimum standard
It is anticipated that the cost of producing a vacancy register will be approximately £3,000 to £8,000; and the average refurbishment costs will be approximately £50,000 per property. Local authorities can also claim a new burdens payment of £5,223 to cover the cost of setting up the scheme eg. marketing, auction and legal costs incurred as a result of implementing the new powers.
The scheme is for local authorities with planning powers.
Focus of fund/fund aims:
Funding to help local authorities to set up High Street Rental Auctions
Application deadline:
31 January 2026 (the fund may close sooner if all the funding is allocated)
Fund description:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-street-rental-auctions-grants-for-local-authorities