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Buying a vacant or derelict home: the grants and the steps
Checked 21 Oct 2026the Central Bank's mortgage measures, Revenue's rules and the scheme operators' published terms.
A home that has stood empty for two years can bring a grant of up to €50,000 towards doing it up, plus €20,000 if it is derelict. This journey runs from checking the home qualifies to the five years you must live there, with the survey, the costed works, the mortgage and the tax along the way. Every figure is dated and sourced.
This journey assumes: You are buying, or already own, a home that has been empty for at least two years, and you will live in it or let it.
Check the home qualifies for the grant
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant pays up to €50,000, plus €20,000 if the home is derelict. The home must have been empty for at least two years and built before 2008, and you must live in it or let it. You apply to the county council before the works start, and the scheme runs to 2030.
Work out the whole budget
Add the price, the stamp duty (1%), the solicitor, the survey and the works, then take off the grant and any SEAI grant. The grant is paid after the works are done and inspected, so you need the money up front or a lender who will fund the works. Keep a contingency: old homes hide things.
Get a full structural survey before you bid
On an empty or derelict home the survey comes before the bid, not after sale agreed. A chartered engineer (Engineers Ireland) or building surveyor (the SCSI) checks the roof, the walls, the floors, damp, the drains and whether the structure is sound. The report is also the base for costing the works.
Have the works designed and costed
An architect (the RIAI register) or engineer turns the survey into a schedule of works and says whether any of it needs planning permission. An extension of up to 40 square metres at the back can be exempt; a protected structure is not. The council's grant application asks for this schedule and quotes against it.
Get quotes from tax-compliant contractors
The grant pays only for work done by a contractor who is tax compliant, against quotes the council has seen. Get at least two itemised quotes on the architect's schedule. Ask each contractor for their tax clearance access number now; the council will ask for it.
Sort the mortgage
Few lenders lend on a home that cannot be lived in as it stands. Some will lend on the price plus the works, paid in stages like a self-build; others want the home habitable first. A broker on the Central Bank register knows which. The Central Bank limits apply: 4 times income for a first-time buyer, 3.5 times otherwise, 90% of the value.
Buy it: the solicitor and the title
Title on a home empty for years can be slow: a dead owner, probate not taken out, unregistered land, a right of way nobody wrote down. A solicitor (on the Law Society's register) sorts it before you sign. Stamp duty is 1% of the price. Buildings insurance on an empty home needs a special policy; standard ones stop cover after a set number of empty days.
Apply for the grant before any work starts
Apply to the council with proof the home was empty for two years (utility bills, the vacancy record), proof you own it or are buying it, the quotes and the tax clearance. The council inspects before it approves. Do not start work before the approval letter: work done before it is not covered.
Add the SEAI grants, with a BER first
SEAI pays grants for insulation, windows, heat pumps and solar, and they can be claimed alongside the vacant grant for different work. Most SEAI grants need a BER from an assessor on SEAI's register before and after. Get the first BER now, while the home is as it was.
The works, the inspection and the grant paid
The architect or engineer checks the work as it goes and signs off at the end. When the works are complete you send the council the paid invoices, and it inspects before paying the grant. If your lender funded the works in stages, each stage needs a certificate too.
After: live there five years, LPT and the second BER
You must live in the home, or let it, for five years, or ten for the full grant, or repay part. LPT runs from the next 1 November on the value after the works. A second BER after the retrofit can lift the rating to B3 or better, which opens a green mortgage rate at your next switch. Switch the insurance to a standard home policy.
Who you need on this journey
Mortgage advisor (broker)Ticked for you
Few lenders lend on a home that is not habitable
Conveyancing solicitorYou will need this
Title on an old home can take time
Surveyor or engineer (pre-purchase or structural survey)You will need this
A vacant home needs a full survey before you bid
Architect or architectural technologistYou will need this
The grant needs costed works
BER assessorOptional
For the SEAI grants that go with it
Questions people ask
How much is the vacant property grant?
Up to €50,000 for a home empty for at least two years and built before 2008, plus €20,000 more if it is derelict, €70,000 in all. It is paid after the works are done and inspected, and the scheme runs to 2030.
Can I get a mortgage on a derelict house?
Some lenders will, usually paying out in stages against the works like a self-build; others want the home habitable first. A broker on the Central Bank register can say which. The usual Central Bank limits apply.
Do I have to live in the house to get the grant?
You must live in it as your home, or let it to a tenant, for five years, or ten years for the full amount. Sell or leave earlier and part of the grant is repaid. A holiday home does not qualify.
Can I claim SEAI grants as well?
Yes, for different work. SEAI's grants for insulation, windows, heat pumps and solar can go alongside the vacant grant, and most need a BER before and after the work.
When is the grant paid?
After the works are finished, you send the council the paid invoices, and it inspects the home. You need the money up front or a lender who will fund the works in stages.
What counts as vacant?
Empty for at least two years before you apply, and built before 2008. The council asks for proof, such as utility bills showing no use, and it inspects before approving.