Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant
This grant provides up to €50,000 for qualifying vacant properties to be refurbished. Properties must be built before 2008 and be vacant at the time of application for the most recent two years. Owners can secure the grant for a property they wish to live in as their home and/or for rental purposes.
Additionally, a further sum of up to €20,000 can also be secured if the property is proven to be derelict giving a potential total grant amount of €70,000. To demonstrate that a property is derelict, a suitably qualified professional must confirm in a written report that it is structurally unsound or dangerous or it must be on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register.
For vacant properties located on an island a 20% uplift on the above amounts may be available.
To find out more about the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, you can email vacancycampaign@housingagency.ie or contact the Vacant Homes Officer (VHO) in your local authority. The full list of VHOs in each local authority can be found here - Officers - Vacant Homes Ireland
Repair and Leasing Scheme
The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is aimed at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or who do not have access to the funding required to bring those properties up to the standard for a rental property.
An interest free loan of up to €80,000 (including VAT) is available to repair each individual home leased to the local authority. For example, where a vacant former shop is converted into 4 homes, a loan of up to €320,000 is available.
In return, the refurbished homes will be leased to the local authority for a period 5 – 25 years. The property owner will receive a regular income based on a percentage of market rent, with the loan repaid as a reduction in the lease payment over an agreed term.
To find out more about the Repair and Leasing Scheme, you can email vacancycampaign@housingagency.ie or contact the Vacant Homes Officer (VHO) in your local authority. The full list of VHOs in each local authority can be found here - Officers - Vacant Homes Ireland
Sell your vacant property
A local authority may also be interested in purchasing your vacant property. If you would like to discuss the possibility of selling your vacant property to a local authority, you should contact Vacant Homes Officer (VHO) in your area. The full list of VHOs in each local authority can be found here - Officers - Vacant Homes Ireland.