The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, has published the latest figures relating to the vacant property refurbishment grant, which show that in Roscommon, €1.6m has already been paid out in relation to the refurbishment of 29 homes.
Overall, since the launch of the grant just over two years ago, there have been 346 applications, 184 approvals and 29 grants issued in Roscommon.
The figures, which outline applications, approvals and payments under the scheme up to the end of September 2024, also show the exponential increase in the rate of grants issued to homeowners following completion of work. The grant is paid out upon completion of all the works involved and as the scheme continues, more and more completions are coming on stream. Nationally, in Q3 2024, 336 grants were paid out; this compares to 226 in Q2 2024 and 146 in Q1 2024.
Overall, throughout the 31 local authorities, there have been 10,097 applications, 6,713 approvals and 867 grants issued.
Under the vacant property refurbishment grant, you can receive a payment of up to €70,000 to turn a vacant or derelict house or building into your permanent home or a rental property.
Minister O’Brien said: “These figures show that the vacant property refurbishment grant has been an extremely popular and effective measure in Roscommon and nationally. It has already facilitated the return to use of hundreds of previously vacant or derelict homes which is not only more sustainable but has resulted in increased supply, and ultimately, provided much-needed homes for people”.
