Vacant homes · 13 October 2026
Derelict property grant: how to get €70,000 instead of €50,000 to do up an old house
Quick answer
There is no separate derelict property grant. It is a top-up of up to €20,000 inside the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, taking the total to €70,000 (€84,000 on a qualifying offshore island). The house must be structurally unsound and dangerous, shown by an independent report from a registered building surveyor, engineer or architect sent with the application, or it must already be on the council’s Derelict Sites Register. It must also have been vacant for two years and built before 2008. The grant is paid when the approved work is finished.
Derelict or vacant: what the difference is worth
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, part of the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, pays to bring an empty house back into use as your home or as a rental. Your council runs it. A derelict house can get more. The full rules for the vacant property grant are on our main page. This post is about the derelict part.
| Vacant | Derelict | |
|---|---|---|
| Mainland | Up to €50,000 | Up to €70,000 |
| Qualifying offshore island | Up to €60,000 | Up to €84,000 |
The amounts include VAT. The top-up is for houses where the work will cost more than €50,000. If the job comes in under that, being derelict adds nothing, because the grant cannot pay more than the cost of the approved works.
What derelict means for this grant
Not empty, untidy or overgrown. For the grant, derelict means structurally unsound and dangerous. There are two ways to show it.
- The house is already on the council’s Derelict Sites Register. Ask the council’s Vacant Homes Officer whether it is. If it is, no extra report is needed for the top-up.
- An independent report from a registered building surveyor, a registered engineer or a registered architect, sent in with the application, confirming to the council’s satisfaction that the house is structurally unsound and dangerous.
The council decides. We would not rely on a report that only says the house is in poor condition. The scheme’s own words are structurally unsound and dangerous, so that is what the report needs to show, with the reasons.
Getting the report right
The rules say who can write it and what it must confirm. They do not set a format. Going by the scheme’s wording, we would make sure the report:
- names the professional and their registration as a building surveyor, engineer or architect
- is written by someone with no part in the building job, so nobody can question that it is independent (our advice, not a written rule)
- gives the address, the date of the inspection and photographs
- sets out the defects, such as the roof structure, walls, floors or foundations
- says plainly that the house is structurally unsound and dangerous
Ask the Vacant Homes Officer before you book anyone. They can tell you what their council looks for, and whether the report fee can go in under the professional fees part of the grant.
Where the extra €20,000 goes
Every application lists the works by category, and some categories have their own cap. The caps below are set for a typical two-storey, three-bed semi-detached house. On the islands each cap is 20% higher.
| Works category | Cap, VAT included |
|---|---|
| Demolition, strip-out and site clearance | Only the overall maximum (€50,000, or €70,000 with the derelict top-up) |
| Substructure: foundations, rising walls, slabs, damp-proofing, underpinning | Only the overall maximum |
| Superstructure: walls, chimneys, upper floors, stairs, roof structure | Only the overall maximum |
| External finishes: windows and external doors, fascias, soffits, rainwater goods, roof finishes, external painting | €42,700 in total |
| Internal finishes: doors, skirtings, wall and ceiling finishes, tiling, painting, floors | €26,300 in total |
| Services: plumbing, heating, ventilation, electrics, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms | Only the overall maximum |
| Fittings: kitchen units (€7,700) and bathroom fittings (€2,800) | €10,500 in total |
| External works within the site | €7,000 |
| An extension, as part of a wider refurbishment | Only the overall maximum |
| Professional fees and surveys | 10% of the net construction cost plus VAT, or €14,000, whichever is less |
The heavy work in a derelict house, the foundations, walls and roof structure, falls in the categories with no cap of their own. That is where the top-up makes the most difference.
Three limits to know. Knocking the house and building a new one is not covered: demolition and an extension count only as part of refurbishing the existing house. The grant will not pay for a new standalone oil or gas boiler. And if you do the work yourself, it pays for materials only, not your labour.
The other rules still apply
- Vacant for at least two years when you apply. Utility bills showing little or no use, or a disconnection, are the usual proof.
- Built before 2008, with evidence.
- You own it, or are actively buying it. The council can approve in principle while the sale goes through.
- Named people only. Not companies or developers. One person can get at most two grants.
- You live in it as your main home, or rent it out with the tenancy registered with the RTB. No short-term or holiday letting.
- Planning permission where the work needs it.
- No work on the grant items before the approval letter.
- The approved work must be finished within 18 months of the approval letter.
How it is paid, and what you sign
The grant is paid when the work is done, after the council checks the invoices and inspects the house. It may pay less than it approved if the invoices or the work fall short.
Before payment you sign a charge on the property, equal to the grant, for ten years. If you sell, stop living there or stop renting it within those ten years, you repay some or all of the grant. The Department recommends getting independent advice before you sign. You also need tax clearance for yourself if the grant is over €10,000, and from every contractor you pay €650 or more.
How to apply
- Talk to the Vacant Homes Officer in the council where the house is, and ask if it is on the Derelict Sites Register.
- Get the report if it is not on the register.
- Fill in the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant form for a single home, not the conversion form, and say you are applying for the derelict top-up.
- Send it with proof of vacancy, proof of ownership, a quote for the works, and the report or the register confirmation.
- The council inspects, agrees the works and sends an approval letter. Sign it and send it back.
- Do the work within 18 months, then send the invoices and sign the charge.
If the application is refused, you can appeal in writing within three weeks of the decision.
Cracking caused by mica or pyrite is a different problem, with schemes of their own: the mica and defective blocks scheme and the pyrite scheme for damaged floors.
If the paperwork is the part that stops you
Everything here is enough to apply yourself, for free. If you would rather not do it alone, our €49.99 Vacant Property Grant kit prepares it with you from a short questionnaire: the official application form filled in with your details, an eligibility check including when your two years of vacancy are complete, a works table worksheet with every category cap, your document checklist, a cover letter for the Vacant Homes Officer, and quote request emails. It covers one home, not the Above the Shop Grant or a conversion into two or more homes. We cannot promise any council will approve a grant. Questions first? Email hello@thegranthub.ie, free.
Sources, checked 13 October 2026: gov.ie, Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (updated 26 August 2026); the scheme outline and table of works; Department of Housing FAQs, August 2026.
Common questions
Is there a grant for a derelict house in Ireland?
Yes, as a top-up inside the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. A derelict house can get up to €20,000 more than a vacant one, so up to €70,000 in total, or up to €84,000 on a qualifying offshore island.
What counts as derelict for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant?
The house must be structurally unsound and dangerous. That is shown by an independent report from a registered building surveyor, engineer or architect sent with the application, or by the house already being on the council’s Derelict Sites Register.
Does a derelict house also have to be vacant for two years?
Yes. The house must have been vacant for at least two years when you apply and built before 2008, the same as for the vacant grant.
Can I knock a derelict house and rebuild it with the grant?
No. Demolition and extensions can be part of the works only as part of refurbishing the existing house. A demolish and rebuild that counts as a new build is not eligible.
Do I have to pay the derelict property grant back?
Only if you sell, stop living there or stop renting it within ten years of payment. Then you repay some or all of it. A charge equal to the grant is placed on the property for ten years.
Doing up a derelict house?
Our €49.99 Vacant Property Grant kit prepares the application with you, with the works table, checklist and a cover letter for the Vacant Homes Officer. Everything on this page stays free.
See the vacant property kit →