Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant
The owner of a vacant property can apply to their local authority for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, which provides funding of up to €50,000 to go towards the property refurbishment costs. To be eligible, a property must be vacant for at least two years and it must have been built before 2008.
If a property is deemed derelict, i.e. it is structurally unsound and dangerous, the property owner can avail of a maximum €20,000 top-up to go towards refurbishment costs.
To find out more about the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant or to download the application form, go to gov.ie - Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant
If you have any questions on the grant, you can email vacancycampaign [at] housingagency [dot] ie (vacancycampaign[at]housingagency[dot]ie) or contact the Vacant Homes Officer in your local authority.
Repair and Leasing Scheme
The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is an initiative where local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) provide an interest free loan of up to €80,000 per unit to property owners to carry out repairs on their properties that have been vacant for at least 12 months, bringing them up to rental standards. In return, the properties are leased to the local authority or AHB for up to 25 years.
Under RLS, the property owner benefits from a guaranteed rent for the full lease period, set at a maximum 80%/ 85% of the current market rent. Loan repayments are deducted from the monthly rent.
To find out more about the Repair and Leasing Scheme, go to gov.ie - Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS)
If you have any questions on RLS, you can email vacancycampaign [at] housingagency [dot] ie (vacancycampaign[at]housingagency[dot]ie) or contact your local authority.
Repair and Leasing Scheme - Call for Expressions of Interest
The Housing Agency is currently seeking submissions for the Repair and Leasing Scheme through an open Expression of Interest (EOI).
There are two options available for proposers –
(i) vacant residential properties, where the proposer is submitting a minimum of 5 units within a local authority area and;
(ii) conversions of vacant non-residential properties including former commercial properties and those associated with commercial properties, e.g. over the shop, which will provide a minimum of 5 units.
Proposals submitted via the EOI process will be managed and administered by The Housing Agency, ensuring all necessary documents are included prior to engaging with the local authority.
The goals of the EOI are:
- to increase delivery under the repair and leasing scheme (RLS) and
- to streamline the administration of applications for RLS projects at scale.
The EOI does not change the criteria or parameters of the scheme.
Further information and the EOI form are linked in the below documents
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.