Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
725. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he will take to address an anomaly with the Croí Cónaithe grant scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27818/23]
View answerPathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.
In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use.
From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential heretofore, subject to appropriate planning permission being in place.
Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.
A maximum of two grants are available to any applicant, of which one must be in respect of a home they intend to occupy as their principal private residence and the other may be in respect of a property which will be made available for rent.
The property must be vacant for two years or more at the time of grant approval and proof of vacancy is required to support grant applications.
The grant process involves the local authority receiving, reviewing and validating applications and arranging for a qualified person to visit the property to check that it is possible to do the work and to assess the proposed cost. Following confirmation of a successful application and the works being completed, the local authority will conduct a final property visit to review that the work has been completed in-line with grant application. Once the local authority is satisfied, they will then pay the grant.
Payment of the grant at the end of this process is to ensure that the applicant has carried out the works applied for, and approved, and to safeguard that the grant is related to the works which have been completed.
