Guide · Ireland · Renovation
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (part of Croí Cónaithe) helps owners bring vacant or derelict buildings back into use as homes in Ireland. It is a refurbishment grant with eligibility rules, not a general grant for building a new house. Local authorities run it, and the gov.ie scheme page sets out the amounts and conditions.
Not grant advice. Rates, eligibility and documents are set by the scheme and your local authority. Read the gov.ie Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant page and your council's scheme documents before you commit to works.
Last updated 28 October 2026.
According to gov.ie, the grant is for turning a vacant house or building into your permanent home or a rental property, or converting an entire former commercial or public-use building into homes. To qualify you need:
gov.ie lists a grant of up to €50,000, plus a derelict top-up of up to €20,000 (up to €70,000 in total for a derelict property). Both are subject to upper limits for different types of work and to the local authority's assessment of reasonable cost, and the grant includes VAT. Higher amounts are possible for conversions that create more than one home. Check the current rates on gov.ie rather than relying on this summary.
The council documents are clear about the order. Longford County Council says you must “have the grant application approved before the work commences”, and that the grant is paid on completion of the works, based on vouched expenditure, after a final inspection. South Dublin County Council's scheme outline says the same: the approved grant is paid on completion, after a review of invoices and receipts and a final inspection.
In practice that means you, or your lender, pay contractors for the whole job before any grant money arrives. Treat the grant as funding that comes in late, after the works are signed off.
The Department of Housing reported on 19 October 2026 that 7,162 vacant and derelict properties have been brought back into use since the scheme launched in 2022, supported by over €396 million in grant funding. 809 homes were refurbished between July and September 2026. Since launch, Donegal County Council has had 600 homes brought back into use, Dublin City Council 554 and Cork County Council 547. These are cumulative totals, not Q3 figures.
ConstructionPro.io does not check eligibility, apply for grants, or deal with your local authority. Grant finder shows grants for the market you choose for the project (US, UK, EU or Ireland). Your council decides what you get.
No. It is a refurbishment grant for vacant or derelict properties that meet the scheme's eligibility rules, not a general grant for building a new house.
Council scheme documents say the application must be approved before the work you are claiming for starts. Check your local authority's conditions.
On completion of the works, based on vouched expenditure and after a final inspection by the local authority. You need to fund the works until then.
The Department of Housing reported 7,162 vacant and derelict properties brought back into use, supported by over €396 million, as of its Q3 2026 statistics published on 19 October 2026.
No. It tracks the grant as a funding line with its deadline. It does not check eligibility or apply for grants.
A demo ledger you can throw away, with funding lines, invoices and programme dates. We do not check eligibility or apply for grants.