Grants for Renovating a House in Dublin

The main renovation grant is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: up to €50,000 to renovate a house that has been vacant for two years or more and was built before 2008, or up to €70,000 if it is derelict. You apply to your local authority, and approval comes before work starts. Energy upgrades in any home can get SEAI grants.

Who qualifies, what it covers, and the conditions.

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€50,000vacant house, up to
€70,000derelict house, up to
2 yearsvacant, at least

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant


Amount	Up to €50,000; up to €70,000 if the house is derelict
The house	Vacant for two years or more, and built before 2008
You	The named owner, or buying it. Not a company
After	You live in it as your main home, or rent it out with a registered tenancy
The charge	The council registers a charge on the house for ten years. Sell or stop meeting the conditions and some is repaid
VAT	The grant covers the VAT on the work

Apply to Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin or Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, whichever the house is in. The scheme is set out on gov.ie.

How it runs

An empty period room with the ceiling down to the joists and old paint on the walls

Apply to the council with proof of ownership, proof of vacancy and a quotation for the work.
The council inspects and approves the grant in principle.
The work is done. You pay the builder.
The council inspects again and pays the grant.

The grant is paid at the end, so the work has to be funded first. Don't start before approval.

Energy grants

SEAI gives grants for insulation, heat pumps, windows and doors, heating controls and solar panels, in any home built and occupied before the qualifying dates for each measure. A full energy upgrade can run through a One Stop Shop, which manages the work and takes the grant off the price. On a vacant-home job, the two can be combined for different works.

Protected structures

Dublin's councils run conservation grants each year for protected structures and buildings in conservation areas. They are small and competitive. Ask the council's conservation office when the next round opens.