Older people · 13 October 2026
Housing Aid for Older People grant: up to €10,700 for the roof, wiring, windows and heating
Quick answer
Housing Aid for Older People is the council grant for essential repairs to an older person’s home: the roof, the wiring, windows and doors and the heating. It pays up to €10,700, VAT included, and covers 100% of the approved cost where household income is up to €37,500. It is for people aged 66 or over who own the home or have a right to live in it. Each job needs its own trade report, and nothing can start until the council approves it in writing.
What the grant is for
Housing Aid for Older People is run by your county or city council. The Department of Housing describes it as help for “older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out”.
In plain terms: the house is wearing out, and the person living in it is 66 or over. The roof lets in water. The wiring is old. The windows are rotten, or the heating has given up. This is the grant for that.
It is one of three council home grants that share a single form. If the problem is getting around the house rather than the house itself, the other two fit better: the smaller grant for rails, ramps and showers, and the €40,000 grant for adapting a home.
How much it pays
Up to €10,700. The council works out what the job should cost, called the approved cost, and pays a share of it based on household income. Unlike the other two council grants, this one includes the VAT.
| Household income (owner and spouse) | Share of approved cost paid | Maximum grant |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €37,500 | 100% | €10,700 |
| €37,501 to €43,750 | 85% | €9,095 |
| €43,751 to €50,000 | 75% | €8,025 |
| €50,001 to €62,500 | 50% | €5,350 |
| €62,501 to €75,000 | 30% | €3,210 |
| Over €75,000 | No grant | n/a |
Two examples. A widow whose only income is the State Pension needs the roof repaired, and the council approves a cost of €9,000 including VAT. She is in the 100% band, so the grant is €9,000. The second is the example on the form itself: household income of €45,000 and works of €15,000 including VAT. 75% would be €11,250, but the cap in that band is €8,025, so the grant is €8,025.
The grant is worked out on the council’s estimate or the actual cost, whichever is lower. A dearer quote does not raise it.
Who qualifies
- Aged 66 or over. The council can pay it to someone younger, but only in cases of hardship.
- They own the home, or have a right of residence in it. It is not for people renting from a landlord or a council.
- They live there. It must be their normal home when the work is finished.
- Household income up to €75,000, after the allowances below.
- Local Property Tax in order, and tax affairs in order.
No medical certificate is needed. This grant is about the state of the house. If the repairs are urgent because of a medical condition, the GP can fill in the Doctor’s Certificate pages so the council can give the case priority.
Whose income counts
The council looks at the gross income of the person who owns the house, and their spouse or partner, for the previous tax year. For an application sent in now, that is 2025. That is what the 2024 regulations and the Department’s grant page say. Two official explainers say every adult in the house counts, so if a working son or daughter lives there, ask the council how it will assess the household.
If the house belongs to a son or daughter and the parent has a right to live there, the form says it is the owner’s income that is assessed, not the parent’s.
Some payments are left out of the sum: Fuel Allowance, the Household Benefits Package, the Living Alone Increase, Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit, the Carer’s Support Grant, Child Benefit, the Working Family Payment, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Foster Care Allowance. The State Pension does count.
Deductions can bring the figure down further: €6,250 if a relative cares for the person full time, up to €6,250 a year of mortgage or rent on the home, and up to €12,500 of home care fees (€6,250 if the relative-carer deduction is also claimed) or of nursing home fees the owner pays for a spouse or co-owner.
What it pays for
The guidelines tell councils to put essential works first, the ones that make the house fit to live in. Other works are judged case by case. The list includes:
- Structural repairs
- Repairing or replacing the roof
- Upgrading the electrical wiring
- Dry-lining
- Repairing or replacing some or all of the windows and doors
- Central heating, a water supply or sanitary services
- Painting or cleaning, but only as part of a wider set of works
- Radon work, in homes that test at 200 Bq/m3 or more, again only as part of wider works. The grant does not pay for the radon test itself.
- Any other repair the council considers reasonably necessary
So yes, it can pay for windows. There is no separate free windows grant for pensioners. Rotten or broken windows and doors come under this grant. If the windows are sound and the aim is a warmer house that costs less to heat, look at the SEAI grants as well.
The report each job needs
The council wants proof from a professional that the work is needed. The form and the Department’s web page word this a little differently, so we suggest covering both.
| Job | What the form asks for | What the gov.ie page adds |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | A letter from your insurer saying the repairs are not covered by the policy | An inspection report on the defect, often from a council engineer or a private surveyor |
| Wiring | A Periodic Inspection Report from an electrician registered with Safe Electric, describing the repairs | The report should confirm the existing wiring is inadequate or dangerous |
| Heating | A report from a heating contractor on the condition of the existing system | From a qualified contractor (RGII for gas, OFTEC for oil), stating the system is beyond economic repair |
Windows and doors have no set report. The council sends a technician to look at the house before it decides, and will see them then.
Ask the council whether it wants the roof inspection report as well as the insurer’s letter. It costs nothing to ask, and it saves the form coming back.
Heating: what it can and cannot pay for
Since 1 January 2025 the grant cannot pay for a new standalone oil or gas boiler. You can still buy one with your own money.
It can pay to repair an existing oil or gas boiler, or for electric or biomass heating such as wall-mounted electric heaters or a wood pellet stove. In a Dáil answer in January 2025, the Department added that new radiators, oil tanks and pipework can still be funded, even where they connect to an existing oil or gas boiler, and so can a second-hand boiler fitted by a qualified contractor.
Insulation is not part of this grant. That is SEAI’s job, and homeowners on certain welfare payments can get it done free through SEAI’s free Warmer Homes upgrades.
How to apply
- Get the form. It is the national form for all three council home grants, from your council or gov.ie. Tick Housing Aid for Older People. The section on this grant is on pages 6 and 7.
- Get the trade report for each job, as in the table above.
- Add proof of income for the previous tax year: a Statement of Liability from Revenue, or a statement from the Department of Social Protection if welfare is the only income.
- Add proof the Local Property Tax is paid, deferred or exempt, showing the owner’s name and the address.
- Send it to the council’s housing grants section. The council checks it, sends a technician to the house, and decides. The guidelines ask councils to decide within six weeks of a complete application.
- If it is approved, the letter gives the approved cost and the grant, and asks for your contractor’s itemised quote and tax details, and your bank details.
- Then do the work, within six months of the approval. The grant is paid into your account when it is finished.
Two things trip people up. Do not start any work before the written approval: the Department’s page says an application where work started early will be rejected. And if the grant is over €10,000, the form says you need tax clearance from Revenue.
If the council refuses the grant or cuts it, you have three weeks to appeal the repair grant decision in writing.
Using it with another grant
One form can apply for more than one grant. An older person whose heating needs repair and who also needs grab rails can tick Housing Aid for Older People and the Mobility Aids Grant together. Each grant keeps its own limit. The council will not process two of the same grant at once.
If the form is the part that stops you
Everything above is enough to apply yourself, for free. If you are sorting this out for a parent and would rather not do the paperwork alone, our €49.99 kit for an older parent’s repair grant lays out every answer for the council form, with a supporting statement, a checklist of the reports and documents for your job, a timeline, and chase and appeal letters. We never ask for your PPS number, income figures or documents. We cannot promise the council will approve it, but it goes in complete. Questions first? Email hello@thegranthub.ie, free.
Sources, checked 13 October 2026: gov.ie, Housing Aid for Older People Grant (updated 7 July 2026); Housing Aid for Older People Grant guidelines, December 2024; the national application form; S.I. No. 612 of 2024; Dáil written answer on boilers, 22 January 2025.
Common questions
How much is the Housing Aid for Older People grant?
Up to €10,700, including VAT. It pays 100% of the approved cost for household incomes up to €37,500, falling to 30% for incomes of €62,501 to €75,000. There is no grant above €75,000.
Who can get Housing Aid for Older People?
People aged 66 or over who own the home, or have a right of residence in it, and live there. The council can pay it to someone younger in cases of hardship. It is not for people renting from a landlord or a council.
Is there a grant for new windows for pensioners?
There is no separate windows grant for pensioners. Repairing or replacing some or all of the windows and doors is one of the works Housing Aid for Older People can pay for, for people aged 66 or over.
Can Housing Aid for Older People pay for a new oil or gas boiler?
No, not since 1 January 2025. It can pay to repair an existing boiler, for new radiators, tanks or pipework, or for electric or biomass heating.
Does the State Pension count as income for this grant?
Yes. Fuel Allowance, the Household Benefits Package and the Living Alone Increase are left out, but the State Pension counts.
Can I start the repairs and claim the grant afterwards?
No. The council must approve the application in writing before any work starts. Work started early is not paid for.
Sorting out repairs for a parent?
Our €49.99 grant kit prepares the council application from a short questionnaire, with a checklist of the reports your job needs, a timeline and chase and appeal letters. Everything on this page stays free.
See the kit for a parent’s repair grant →