Almost €8.9M in vacant property grants

Some €8,889,180 in Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants have been awarded in Cavan and Monaghan, with 602 applications approved to date to turn derelict building into new homes

Deputy Brendan Smith, Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan, has stated that the latest figures, released last week, are “proof that the grant is breathing life back into vacant and derelict buildings and turning them into homes. It’s a smart lever that’s quietly adding real housing supply across Ireland.”

New figures from the Department of Housing show that Cavan and Monaghan received 793 applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant in the first half of the year with 602 approved and €8,889,180 worth of grants paid out after works were completed. Nationally, over €155.2 million has been issued to date, bringing 2,856 vacant homes back into use. Since the scheme was launched in July 2022, nearly 10,000 applications have been approved across the country.

Speaking on the statistics Deputy Smith said: “This grant shows Fianna Fáil’s and Minister Browne's strategic approach to housing is hitting two birds with one stone by breathing life back into towns and villages while boosting housing supply. One scheme, double the impact.

“Tackling the housing crisis means using every tool available. Creative schemes like this help us unlock new supply across the country. Increasing supply is the solution, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Individuals who own or are in the process of purchasing a vacant property can avail of a grant of up to €50,000 for vacant properties, with a maximum grant of €70,000 for derelict properties.

The property must be vacant for a period of two years or more at the time of application; it must also be built on or before 2008 and proof of ownership is required.

Funded by the Department of Housing through the Croí Cónaithe scheme, the grants are available through your local authority.

Deputy Smith added: “We need to double down on what’s working and keep every option on the table. In just the first half of this year, we’ve introduced a wave of new legislation aimed at unlocking even more housing supply.

“Every home brought back into use adds to the supply. That’s the focus, increasing housing supply, step by step, house by house.”

Amendments to scheme

In May, Cavan County Council wrote to the Department after councillors requested a number of amendments to the grant scheme.

The grant is paid to successful applicants only after the works have been completed, meaning they must finance the project themselves in full first. They also have just 13 months from approval date in which to complete the works.

Among a number of suggested amendments, Cavan councillors have requested phased payments to ease the burden and extending the timeframe to complete works to 18 months given a shortage of particular tradespeople in certain areas.