Information on Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund

Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund

 The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien T.D. has announced that the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant has been extended to eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas to ensure the existing housing stock is being used to the fullest extent possible.

Under the Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant up to a maximum of €30,000 is available to homebuyers to refurbish a home which they will live in. Where a property is derelict, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 will be available bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €50,000.

An SEAI Better Energy Home Scheme Grant may be available in combination with this grant. Works covered under the SEAI Better Energy Homes Scheme will therefore not be covered under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. These works are listed in the Scheme Outline, see link below.

Properties considered for inclusion must be vacant for two years or more and built before 1993. Proof of Ownership and Vacancy must be provided. Proof of vacancy can be validated and verified by the use of, for example, Utility Bills, which can help determine vacancy periods (e.g. pattern of usage or disconnection) or such other proofs as are available to the satisfaction of the local authority. Proof of ownership may include Title Deeds, Evidence of Payment of LPT, Mortgage Statement or such other proofs as are available to the satisfaction of the local authority.

The scheme is exclusively available to individuals or households for which the property will be their principal private residence. It is not available to undertakings and/or developers, etc. Other residential properties held by the applicant must be sold prior to draw down of the grant. Applicants may only avail of the grant once - in keeping with the requirement that it be their principal private residence.

In order to avail of the Derelict Property Top-Up portion of the grant, you must provide a report from a Registered Architect, Registered Chartered Engineer, or a Registered Building Surveyor to confirm that the building is derelict. If the name of the person signing the report is not on one of the 3 registers below, the report will not be accepted.

Architect:- www.riai.ie/work-with-an-architect/register-of-architects

Chartered Engineer: www.engineersireland.ie/Professionals/Membership/Members/Find-a-member/Search-members/

Building Surveyor: www.scsi.ie/the-register/check-the-register/ 

It is important to note the threshold of “structurally unsound and dangerous”. If the building is simply uninhabitable, it will not suffice for the top up grant.

More information, together with the Grant Application Form can be found here:-

• Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme Outline.pdf (size 2.2 MB)
• Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).pdf (size 2.3 MB)
• Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Application Form.pdf (size 2.5 MB)

For any queries please contact vacanthomes@kilkennycoco.ie