Across every county neglected houses pull down whole terraces. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant offers up to €50,000 to any owner who turns a dwelling or former shop built in 2007 or earlier into a warm home. When a chartered surveyor stamps the shell derelict the cap climbs to €70,000. You pay the trades, submit VAT‑paid invoices, let the council inspect, and the money lands back in your account.
Who can claim the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant
You must own the property or hold a signed contract of sale, prove it has been out of use for at least two years with utility or disconnection records, and commit to living there as your main home or registering it with the Residential Tenancies Board. A derelict top-up also needs either a professional report or an entry on the local Derelict Sites Register.
What costs are covered
Strip-out, structural stabilisation, roofing, rewiring, plumbing, windows, doors, insulation, plastering, kitchens, tiling, fire safety, painting, drainage, and mandatory professional fees are all eligible once they are part of making the building habitable.
How councils release the money
Stage one is a desk review of title, vacancy proof, and three builders’ quotes. Stage two sends technical officers on site to agree the scope and value. Stage three releases funds only when the job is finished, invoices are checked, tax clearance is confirmed, snag items are closed, and a legal charge is signed to secure the five-year claw-back. Payment goes straight to your account or clears a local authority renovation loan.
Stack it with energy grants
Works already funded by the SEAI Better Energy Homes Scheme must sit outside the claim, but the two supports can run side by side, lifting the total subsidy far above the base figures.
Get it done with Unyte Solutions
Unyte Solutions measures every room, writes the bill of quantities, lines up trusted crews, schedules inspections, and signs off with council engineers. Applying for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant becomes a single call instead of weeks of back‑and‑forth. Reach the team at Unyte Solutions, hand over the keys, and collect a finished home fully funded by the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.
