Home Q&A: How can I get a grant to turn a vacant property into my dream home?

Kya deLongchamps answers frequently asked questions about the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (VPRG)

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025 - 20:00

Kya deLongchamps

Here are frequenly asked questions about the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. Always defer to local property professionals for detailed advice and take independent financial advice before proceeding.

Do I need planning permission (PP) if I’m using the Vacant Homes Renovation Grant?

Planning is a separate matter from the grant, but you must have all necessary PP in place to receive grant approval. If you are renovating an existing home without making changes to the façade, original footprint, the grounds, the access, and are only adding a single-storey 40sq m extension (the building’s first), you may not need planning. However, if you’re trying to materialise your dream, a forever home from a tiny, derelict old dear, chances are you will be applying for PP to allow for significant alterations.

Before purchase, it’s vital to ensure the local authority is amenable to paying the VPRG on that property.

Planning permission applications can throw up unexpected issues, including access (that may have accommodated 1950s traffic but fail current sightline regulations).

If the building is a protected structure, contact the conservation officer of the local authority and inform them of your plans. Always engage an architect or engineer to explore what’s possible before purchasing a home for renovation.

Why are some builders and trades so negative about using the VPRG?

There’s a variety of explanations. The trades you use must be tax-compliant and VAT-registered, which won’t suit someone happy to go via the direct-labour route working “off the books”. Secondly, for some people, there’s quite simply a gene-level distrust regarding government-managed grant schemes.

Retroactive grants are often seen as too meticulous and detailed, with a storm of paperwork to complete. €50,000-€70,000 (plus potential SEAI funds) is a lot of money.

You should expect a reasonable level of accountability. The VPRG is not a rogue and useless “scam” and has put over 2000 old homes back into use.

If you cannot pay your contractors until you get the grant money (not ideal), you’re asking them to wait for weeks after completion, when they would generally expect phased payments and a final payment within 30 days of finishing. Take note: grant awards are retroactive and inclusive of VAT.

How much grant money is available for a derelict building, and how do I determine if it is derelict?

This confirmation is done by either the property being on the Derelict Sites Register (held by the local authority), or the local authority will make the determination.

Providing an average payment of €50,000, the VPRG offers a useful sum towards creating a home from a neglected bungalow or even period property.

According to Cork City Council, where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant of up to a further €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict (i.e. structurally unsound and dangerous) or if the property is already on the local authority's derelict sites register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.

It adds: "In the case of a top-up grant in respect of a derelict property not on the Derelict Sites Register, an independent report prepared by an appropriately qualified professional is required to be submitted with the application confirming that the property is derelict.” See Corkcity.ie/en/council-services.

What sort of detail should be provided to my local authority in the application for the VPRG?

So, you might be carrying out some work yourself (this is allowed, by the way), or you might be bringing in individual contractors (acting as your own project manager), or you might be electing to work with a single building contractor. However you approach the project, the quotes you provide must be as accurate as possible, reflecting reasonable figures for skills and materials, set out in a way that an industry professional would understand.

The VPRG pays for divisions of works including internal fittings like the final flooring. File picture

The grant covers set maximum amounts for different divisions of work. Wexford County Council offers this handy example of how to present a quote: Plumbing, new oil condensing burner, new oil tank and stand, replumb entire property with hot and cold-water supply, install sanitaryware for two bathrooms (sanitary supply by others), supply and install 13 radiators, new hot water cylinder, €10,000; internal walls, supply and fit 62.5mm EPS-insulated plaster boards to the internal side of external walls, 150sq m, €10,000.

An engineer, architect or your building contractor can really help here. You don’t have to proceed with the company you have a quote with. When applying, consider how you might share funds over SEAI grant aid for increased energy efficiency. Where the individual project allows (for instance, external insulation), you can only claim for either SEAI grant aid or VPRG aid.

I have my eye on a house that hasn’t been lived in for a while. Can I buy it, leave it empty and then go for the VPRG funding?

Nope, you cannot strategise in this way. To qualify, the house must have been built up to and including the last day of 2007. You must be tax compliant (including LPP), own the property you intend to renovate, or be in the process of purchasing it. It must have been left vacant for two years or more. It’s on you to prove you own the building and that the building was vacant for 24 months, and to provide quotes from tax-compliant contractors for the necessary works you’re carrying out.

If you are making a change of use, from a cowshed to a bungalow or from a pub to a house, the two-year vacancy rule might not apply. Approach the appointed officer in your local authority for advice. The documents for proving a house was/is vacant include ESB bills, ESB connection/disconnection letters, a letter from the estate agent if there is one (on headed paper), and a sworn affidavit from a neighbour or previous owner.

What is the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan (LAPR)?

This loan is based on the value of a home after renovations (€275,000 to €360,000, depending on your county, with other terms and conditions). LAPR is intended to make purchase and VPRG renovation attainable for more people to buy and fix up derelict and non-habitable homes. In short, it’s a government-backed mortgage (fixed rate) and a loan (a variable rate bridging loan) which can make it possible for someone struggling to find typical financial backing.

You may also need planning permission depending on alternations.

The property must be eligible for the VPRG, the project deemed viable, and you must show that you have enough ongoing income to afford the repayments (less than 35% of your net household income).

The LAPR can cover 80%-90% of the purchase price of the property and 90% of the renovation costs. The loan is directed towards first-time buyers and “fresh start applicants,” who have been unable to get funding from banks and credit unions.

The loan component is intended to cover the amount you have been approved for through the VPRG. The payment you make is on the interest. You will still be liable for outstanding renovation costs outside the grant. If you are availing of the LAPR to purchase and renovate, or to renovate only, you will be required, as a condition of that loan, to sign a Grant Payment Authority letter authorising payment of the VPRG directly to the local authority. For more information and a handy calculator showing you what you might qualify for, go to Purchaseandrenovationloan.ie.