£1 houses and money for moving north: what is actually true

The story of a "£1 house up north, and they pay you to move" comes up in every conversation about relocating. There is no national £1 house programme, nobody pays you for moving, but two real schemes exist that save tens of thousands.

Where the £1 house came from

From individual councils. Several sold derelict houses for a nominal pound to bring streets of empty homes back into use. It was never a giveaway: buyers committed to repairing the house at their own expense and living in it for an agreed period, and were chosen on local criteria. These are council schemes for specific streets and a limited number of properties — there is no UK-wide version.

What is actually paid: empty homes grants

Liverpool City Council's current scheme publishes its terms. Grants run from £5,000 to £20,000 per property from a fund of over £7m, aiming to return 365 empty homes to use. The money covers repairs and improvements that make a property habitable — not appliances, furnishings or furniture.

The conditions are strict. The property must have been empty for at least 12 months and still be empty at application. No council tax arrears on it, no enforcement action for housing offences. It is a grant, but the council places a restriction on the title for the grant amount as security, removed after three years if conditions are met — and kept if the owner sells or evicts the tenant before then.

Crucially, for three years the council nominates the tenants and the rent must match the Local Housing Allowance rate, with the correct letting licence, a hazard-free inspection and valid gas, electrical and energy certificates. The grant is for an owner willing to let at council terms, not for someone wanting to move in.

For first-time buyers

The First Homes scheme offers 30% to 50% off market value, across England only. You must be 18 or over, a first-time buyer, able to get a mortgage for at least half the price, and earning no more than £80,000 a year before tax (£90,000 in London), based on the previous tax year. Buying jointly, all buyers must be first-time buyers within the same income limit, and it must be your only or main home.

Councils may add local criteria such as priority for key workers or local residents. Armed forces members, veterans who left within the last five years, and certain widows, widowers and former partners are exempt from those local criteria.

So is there money for moving north?

No. Every real pot of money is tied either to a specific house that must be repaired and then let on the council's terms, or to buying a first home at a discount. What is true is that housing is markedly cheaper in the north — which is why nominal sales and empty-homes grants appear there more often.

What to check

Go to the website of the specific council you are considering and read its empty homes and grants pages. Terms, amounts and deadlines are local, change often, and are usually capped by number of properties. Budget the full cost, not the purchase price: grants cover part of the repairs, and the letting obligations run for years.