Vacant Home Grants: Time to close the funding gap
PROPERTY
Property Insights with Johnny Gannon, Fair Deal Property
Ireland has thousands of vacant and derelict properties that could become family homes. We have refurbishment grants intended to bring them back into use. Yet too many projects never get started.
At Fair Deal Property, we meet buyers with mortgage approval who have found vacant homes they want to restore. They are ready to invest, employ local tradespeople and put life back into neglected buildings. But the same frustrations keep emerging: complicated paperwork, lengthy processes and a grant payment system that leaves buyers carrying the refurbishment costs upfront.
It is remarkable how often buyers of vacant properties tell us they simply won’t bother applying for the grant. Think about that. Substantial financial support is available, yet many buyers would rather walk away from it than navigate the bureaucracy and funding gap. That should concern everyone involved in housing policy.
A buyer may qualify for a grant, have a mortgage approved and have a builder ready. But mortgage approval does not automatically provide the cash to fund refurbishment works before the grant is paid. The solution is not simply to announce more funding. We must change how existing funding reaches people.
My proposal is straightforward: introduce an initial grant payment once eligibility and the proposed works are approved, followed by independently verified stage payments as work progresses. Completed stages should be paid within 30 days, much like drawdowns on new builds. This would allow builders to be paid promptly, give buyers confidence and keep projects moving. Clear milestones, inspections and appropriate safeguards can protect public money without burying applicants in paperwork.
We also need a simpler application process, clearer guidance and reliable decision timelines. A scheme designed to tackle vacancy should not become another obstacle to tackling vacancy.
Across Tuam, Galway and rural Ireland, empty houses sit in established communities with roads, services and neighbours already in place. Restoring them can support local businesses, strengthen town centres and provide homes without waiting for new developments. The real measure of success is not the number of applications received or grants approved. It is the number of formerly empty homes occupied again.
If substantial grants are being turned down because the process is too difficult, the system needs reform. Cut the bureaucracy. Release funding earlier. Pay promptly as work is completed. Let's make these grants deliver what they were created to achieve: more homes, fewer empty buildings and stronger communities.
For more information, call 093-59014, or visit www.fairdealproperty.ie.