The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant gives you up to €50,000 to turn a vacant house into your home or a rental property — rising to €70,000 if the property is derelict. The property must have been vacant for at least 2 years and built before 2008. The grant is funded through the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund and paid by your local authority. Details verified against gov.ie and Citizens Information on 2 June 2026.
How Much Is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant?
| Situation | Maximum grant |
|---|---|
| Vacant property | €50,000 |
| Derelict property (vacant grant + €20,000 derelict top-up) | €70,000 |
| Vacant property on an off-shore island | €60,000 |
| Derelict property on an off-shore island | €84,000 |
| Conservation advice grant (traditional houses, additional) | €5,000 |
| Former commercial/public building converted to 2 residential units | €70,000 (vacant) / €90,000 (derelict) |
| Former commercial/public building converted to 3+ residential units | €90,000 (vacant) / €110,000 (derelict) |
All amounts are inclusive of VAT. The grant amount you actually receive is based on a cost assessment carried out by your local authority — the figures above are the upper limits, not automatic payments. If the renovation costs more than the grant, you pay the difference.
Who Qualifies?
You must meet all of the following conditions:
- The property has been vacant for at least 2 years immediately before your application. Utility bills are the usual proof; an affidavit can be accepted where bills are not available. Properties left deliberately vacant to claim the grant do not qualify.
- The property was built before 2008. (Before 1 May 2023, only pre-1993 homes qualified — the scheme was widened.)
- You own the property or are actively buying it. A ‘letter of approval in principle’ can be issued while a purchase is in progress.
- You will live in it as your principal private residence, or rent it out (with the tenancy registered with the RTB).
- Your tax affairs are in order — tax clearance from Revenue and Local Property Tax paid.
- You are an individual — registered companies and developers cannot apply.
You can get the grant a maximum of twice: once for a home you will live in, and once for a property you will rent out.
What Work Does It Cover?
The grant covers structural and refurbishment work, with capped amounts per category of work (figures based on a two-storey, 3-bed semi-detached home):
| Type of work | Maximum amount |
|---|---|
| Demolition, substructure, superstructure, services (plumbing, heating, electrics), extensions | Up to the overall grant cap (€50,000 / €70,000) |
| External completions (doors, windows, windowsills) | €21,000 |
| Roof completions / roof finishes | €14,000 each |
| Painting and decorating | €10,500 |
| Kitchen units | €7,700 |
| Internal completions (doors, frames, architraves) | €7,000 |
| Work on land around the home | €7,000 |
| Fascias, soffits, rainwater goods | €4,200 |
| Skirtings | €3,500 |
| Tiling and waterproofing (wet areas) | €2,800 |
| Sanitary-ware and bathroom fittings | €2,800 |
| Professional fees (surveys etc.) | 10% of net construction cost or €14,000, whichever is less |
What it does not cover: complete demolition and rebuild, and — critically — energy upgrade work that is already covered by an SEAI grant. That exclusion is good news, not bad. It means the two schemes stack.
Stacking SEAI Energy Grants on Top — Worth Up to €25,300 More
Because the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant explicitly excludes energy upgrade work covered by SEAI, you can claim SEAI grants for that work in addition to the refurbishment grant. For a typical vacant-property renovation, that means:
| Energy upgrade | SEAI grant |
|---|---|
| Heat pump system | Up to €12,500 |
| Wall insulation (external wrap, detached) | Up to €8,000 |
| Attic insulation | Up to €2,000 |
| Solar panels (solar PV) | Up to €1,800 |
| Heating controls | Up to €700 |
| EV home charger | €300 |
| Combined with the €70,000 derelict grant | Up to €95,300 in total support |
A derelict property being brought back to life is also the ideal time to install solar — scaffolding is already up, the roof is being worked on, and the electrical system is being rewired anyway. See what solar costs in Ireland and check the build-date rules in our SEAI grants guide (note: the solar grant requires the home to have been built and occupied before 31 December 2020, which vacant pre-2008 properties satisfy).
Get free quotes from SEAI-registered solar installers in your county. Adding solar during a renovation is cheaper than retrofitting it later — and the €1,800 SEAI grant stacks on top of your refurbishment grant.
Get Free Solar Quotes →The Clawback Rules — Read Before You Apply
The grant comes with a 10-year charge registered against the property. If you sell the property, stop living in it, or stop renting it out within 10 years, you repay some or all of the grant:
| How long you lived in / rented the property | How much you repay |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 100% of the grant |
| 5 to 10 years | 75% of the grant |
| More than 10 years | Nothing |
How to Apply
- Contact the Vacant Homes Officer at the local authority where the property is located.
- Submit the application form with supporting documents — proof of vacancy (utility bills or affidavit), proof of ownership or purchase negotiations, planning permission if needed, a derelict-status report if claiming the top-up, and a quote for the works.
- The local authority assesses the property — a qualified person visits to confirm the works are feasible and to assess costs.
- Letter of approval issues — stating your grant amount. You then have 13 months to complete the works.
- Works are inspected, the charge document is signed, and the grant is paid. If you are renting the property out, payment is only made after you show the tenancy is registered with the RTB.
If your application is refused, you can appeal in writing to the local authority within 3 weeks of the decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
The grant is worth up to €50,000 for a vacant property and up to €70,000 for a derelict property (the €50,000 grant plus a €20,000 derelict top-up). Properties on off-shore islands qualify for higher amounts: €60,000 vacant and €84,000 derelict. The amounts are inclusive of VAT, and the final figure is based on a cost assessment by your local authority.
You qualify if the property has been vacant for at least 2 years, was built before 2008, you own it or are buying it, and you will either live in it as your main home or rent it out with an RTB-registered tenancy. You need tax clearance and your Local Property Tax paid. Companies and developers cannot apply — the grant is for individuals only, and you can only receive it twice.
Yes. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant does not cover energy upgrade work that SEAI grants already cover — which means you can claim both. SEAI grants for solar panels (€1,800), heat pumps (€12,500), insulation (up to €8,000 for walls, €2,000 for attic) and heating controls (€700) all stack on top of the refurbishment grant, bringing the total potential support on a derelict property to over €95,000.
Only if you break the conditions within 10 years. If you sell the property or stop living in it (or renting it out) within 5 years, you repay 100% of the grant. Between 5 and 10 years, you repay 75%. After 10 years, you owe nothing. The local authority registers a charge against the property for the 10-year period to enforce this.
There is no fixed approval timeline — it depends on your local authority's assessment, which includes a site visit. Once approved, you have 13 months to complete the works. The grant is paid after the local authority inspects the completed work and you sign the charge document.
Yes. The grant is available both for properties you will live in and properties you will rent out. For rentals, the tenancy must be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) before the grant is paid, and you must provide proof of RTB registration to your local authority every year. You can get the grant once for a home to live in and once for a rental — two grants maximum per person.
Sources: gov.ie — Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (last updated 1 April 2026); Citizens Information — Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (page edited 9 April 2026); SEAI Individual Grants. All figures verified against live pages on 2 June 2026 — check gov.ie for the latest scheme rules before applying.
Published: 2 June 2026. Author: Neil Russell.