Housing

Vacant home revamp grant to be extended ‘almost nationwide’

€50,000 payout will now apply to city centre and rural properties which have been empty for two years and will be lived in by their owners

Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Housing, is set to extend the €50,000 grant for vacant homes to houses in rural areas and cities. Picture: Collins

The €50,000 grant for the refurbishment of vacant homes is to be extended to help tackle the housing crisis.

There are at least 92,000 vacant buildings around the country according to Geodirectory, a company owned by An Post, but the current vacant property grant is currently only available for properties located in 500 towns and villages which have a population of over 400 people.

There has been growing pressure from government and opposition TDs to ...