Home maintenance and energy advice

This page brings together advice on maintaining and improving your home, energy efficiency, financial help with repairs and adaptations, and support for owner occupiers. If you can't find what you need here, contact us.

Owner occupiers

Owner occupiers face many of the same challenges as tenants, such as issues with neighbours, repairs and financial difficulties. The main difference is that you are ultimately responsible for the general maintenance and upkeep of your own property.

We have a legal duty to make good quality housing advice available across Orkney. We do this through our Homelessness and Advice Section and by funding Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau to provide independent housing advice.

Mortgage arrears

If you are concerned about meeting your mortgage payments, contact your mortgage provider as soon as possible. Repossession is always a last resort, and your provider will work with you to find a way forward.

In some circumstances your mortgage provider may suggest you contact the Citizens Advice Bureau. Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau has a full-time money adviser who can help with maximising income, budgeting and benefits checks.

The most important thing when facing possible mortgage arrears is to talk to someone as soon as possible. If you are at risk of losing your home, the Scottish Government's Home Owners' Support Fund schemes may also be able to help. See our buying a property page for more information.

Repairing and improving your private property

The tolerable standard

All homes must meet a basic level of repair to be fit to live in. This is known as the tolerable standard. Your property may fall below this standard if it has serious rising or penetrating damp, is structurally unstable, lacks adequate ventilation, light or heating, lacks adequate thermal insulation, or does not have a proper water supply, sink with hot and cold water, indoor toilet, bath or shower with hot and cold water, or a safe drainage and sewerage system.

If we become aware of a property below the tolerable standard, we have powers to take action. Close working between our Housing Services and Environmental Health teams means properties are usually identified through complaints, requests for rehousing, or routine visits. Where a property is below standard, we will look for an appropriate solution, which could be monitoring, formal action or assistance through the Scheme of Assistance. For more detail, see our environmental health section.

The Repairing Standard for private tenants

If you rent from a private landlord, they are legally required to ensure your property meets the Repairing Standard throughout your tenancy. This covers the structure, exterior, water, gas, electricity, sanitation, heating, fixtures, fittings, furnishings and fire detection.

From 1 February 2022, all private rented properties must have interlinked ceiling-mounted smoke alarms in the main living room, all circulation spaces (hallways and landings), and a heat alarm in the kitchen. Where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance or flue, a carbon monoxide detector is also required.

If your landlord fails to meet the Repairing Standard, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).

Scheme of Assistance

The Scheme of Assistance, introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, gives us powers to help private homeowners maintain and improve their properties, where public support is genuinely necessary.

In Orkney, the Scheme of Assistance is delivered by Orkney Care and Repair, on behalf of the council. Care and Repair is integrated within Orkney Housing Association Ltd (OHAL) and is based at 39a Victoria Street, Kirkwall.

Care and Repair offers a range of advice and practical assistance to anyone needing help with repairs, improvements or adaptations to their home. This can include help appointing contractors and project supervision.

Grant assistance is available to cover essential repairs for eligible, vulnerable individuals, up to a ceiling of £3,500.

We must provide assistance to owners who have been served a statutory works notice requiring them to bring their home into a reasonable state of repair. We must also provide grant assistance for most work to adapt homes for disabled occupants (see the Disabled Adaptation Grants section below). All other assistance is discretionary, subject to local priorities and budgets.

Disabled adaptation grants

If you or someone in your household has a disability and needs adaptations to your privately owned or privately rented home, you may be eligible for a disabled adaptation grant. If you are a council or OHAL tenant, contact your landlord directly about the help available.

How to apply

Contact the occupational therapy team on 01856 873535, extension 2669, to discuss your eligibility and arrange an assessment.

Orkney Care and Repair offers a free advice service for grant applications and can help you complete the form or act as your agent.

Energy efficiency

There are four main factors affecting your heating bills: household income, energy prices, the energy efficiency of your home, and how you use energy at home. As a council, we can have the most direct impact on the third of these, by helping householders improve the energy efficiency of their properties and keeping our own housing stock up to the required standards.

Help for private householders: Heat and Energy Efficient Scotland Area Based Scheme

We have secured Scottish Government funding through the Heat and Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (HEES: ABS) to help homeowners, private tenants and landlords improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Eligible households can receive funding for:

• Loft insulation
• Internal wall insulation
• External wall insulation
• Floor insulation
• High heat retention storage heaters (following insulation upgrades)

To find out if you are eligible and to discuss your options, contact our managing agent, Warmworks Scotland:

Telephone: 01856 881513 Office: 2 West Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall, KW15 1AL (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

Note on previous works

Our managing agent for the 2019/20 period and earlier was Firefly Energi Orkney Ltd, which entered administration in 2021 and is no longer trading. If works were carried out during that period, an insurance-backed warranty was registered by Firefly and is now managed by Qualitymark Protection.

Council and OHAL housing

All council and OHAL housing is required to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). As of 31 March 2026, 93.7% of our properties meet the EESSH Milestone 1. The next phase, EESSH2, requires all social housing to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of band B or equivalent by December 2032. No social housing is to be re-let with an EPC of band D or below from December 2025.

If you are a council or OHAL tenant with concerns about energy efficiency in your home, contact your housing officer in the first instance.

Home energy advice

Maximise your income

Making sure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to can make a real difference to your ability to heat your home. If you are a council or OHAL tenant, speak to your housing officer. You can also contact Orkney Citizens Advice Bureau or THAW Orkney for independent advice.

Energy prices

While we have no direct control over fuel prices, we work with others to highlight Orkney's challenging climate and high fuel poverty rates to government. Speak to your energy provider to check you are on the best deal. Paying by direct debit is usually cheaper than paying on receipt of a bill, and smart meters can help you better monitor your usage.

Condensation, damp and mould

Damp causes mould on walls and furniture and can lead to health problems, so it is worth acting early.

• Check your building for penetrating damp, caused by leaking pipes, a damaged roof, blocked gutters, gaps around window frames, or cracked rendering. These need to be reported to your landlord, housing officer, or builder.
• Insulate and draught-proof your home. Loft insulation should be around 270mm deep and must not be compressed. Windows and external doors should be draught-free.
• Ventilate when cooking or bathing. Keep the kitchen or bathroom door shut to stop steam spreading, and open a window. Extractor fans are an effective and low-cost way to remove moist air.
• Maintain a low level of background heat in unused rooms to reduce the risk of cold spots forming.
• If condensation forms on windows, dry them each morning rather than leaving the moisture to sit.
• A dehumidifier can help significantly. Set on high initially, then turn to a low setting to maintain results at lower running cost.

Top tips for keeping costs down

• Do not ignore rent or fuel arrears. Speak to Citizens Advice Bureau for a free benefits check and debt advice.
• If you are a council tenant, speak to your housing officer about a repayment plan. Our Benefits team can advise on additional support such as the Discretionary Housing Payment or Scottish Welfare Fund.
• Review your energy bills regularly and question direct debit increases that seem too high.
• Consider paperless billing to avoid charges, and send regular meter readings.

Other support

Winter payments and rebates

• Winter Fuel Payment: available to those born before a qualifying date set by the UK Government each year. Check your eligibility at GOV.UK.
• Warm Home Discount: a £150 rebate on winter electricity bills, available to eligible customers of participating larger energy suppliers. Check with your supplier.
• Help with arrears: some energy suppliers offer support for customers with large arrears or towards the cost of white goods or boiler replacements. Contact your supplier directly.

Contact us