I propose to take Questions Nos. 115, 129, 143 and 149 together.
In July 2022 my Department launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use. On the 1st May 2023, I announced a revised grant rate of up to a maximum of €50,000 available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and also for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential, all subject to the appropriate planning permission being in place.Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a further maximum top-up grant 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, this brings the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
To qualify for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant -
• The property must have been vacant for 2 years or more and have been built up to and including 2007.
• The applicant must own the property or be in the process of buying it.
• The applicant must live in the property as their principal private residence when the work is completed, or make it available for rent. If the applicant is going to rent the property when the work is completed, they must register the tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board.
• The applicant must have tax clearance from Revenue and their tax affairs must be in order.
• The applicant must have paid their Local Property Tax, if applicable.
• The applicant cannot be a registered company or developer.
The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.
The grant is processed by the local authorities with guidance support provided by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department and by the Housing Agency.
My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, see gov.ie - Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie).
It is intended to include data on the total amount of grants paid out in future quarterly reports. Consideration will also be given to inclusion of data providing a breakdown of applications for properties which will be the applicants principal private residence and those which will be made available for rent.
The grant application process involves the local authority receiving and reviewing applications to ensure that the grant conditions are met and that the required documentation has been submitted before arranging for a qualified person to visit the property to check the refurbishment work that has been applied for and to assess the proposed cost.
Within the programme level allocations announced on Budget Day, a provision of €50m has been provided in 2024 for the Croí Cónaithe Fund. This provision will be reviewed in the context of the forthcoming review of NDP Capital Ceiling provisions.
