Housing

Vacant homes costing as much as €605k to renovate as state urged to tackle high dereliction rates

An expert report warns that around a quarter of properties around Ireland are financially unviable to refurbish

The SCSI has said the government would need to double to €100,000 the grants it offers for renovation to address the financial unviability of refurbishing properties. Picture: Getty

The cost of renovating vacant or derelict homes in Ireland is increasingly unviable, according to an expert body, with some properties costing more than €600,000 to refurbish.

A damning new report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has found that only around a quarter of houses can be renovated in a financially viable fashion, and that the government would need to double to €100,000 the grants it offers for refurbishment to address the ...