Refurbishing Vacant Property - Policy on Addressing Vacancy

'Housing for All’ is the government’s housing plan to 2030. The plan sets out four pathways to a sustainable housing system. Pathway four, ‘Pathway to Addressing Vacancy and Efficient use of Housing Stock’ seeks to ensure through a range of incentives and other measures that existing housing stock is utilised to the fullest extent possible. This will, in turn, help revitalise our cities, towns and villages. More information on pathway four can be found on the Housing for All website .

‘Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns’, is the government’s overarching policy for the renewal and regeneration of Irish towns. It is a major new strategy that features a range of measures and supports aimed at making towns and villages more viable and attractive places, whilst ensuring they are social, cultural, recreational and services hubs for their local community. It contains 33 specific actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to achieve important national objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing and addressing challenges like vacancy and dereliction.

The policy is underpinned by multiple existing and future multi-billion euro investment programmes such as the:

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• Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF)
• The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund
• Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

In Phase 1 of the policy, a Town Centre First Plan is being developed in 26 towns/villages around the country in conjunction with a local Town Team comprised of representatives of local residents, business people, community/ voluntary groups and other stakeholders. This Town Team is being supported by their local authority through a new dedicated Town Regeneration Officer. The Town Centre First Plan will focus on identifying local projects and initiatives that can be actioned to make their area a better place to live, work, visit and run a business.

If you live or have a business in one of the 26 towns/ villages (named on the link to the policy, below), are passionate about its future and would like to be part of the Town Team, please contact Mairead Hunt, National Town Centre First Office at tcf@lgma.ie who can put you in touch with your local Town Regeneration Officer.

See the full Town Centre First Policy.

The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is delivered by local authorities and provides new choices for people to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. It funds two schemes:

• Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. This grant funding supports the refurbishment of vacant properties in cities, towns, villages and rural areas for residential use
• Ready to Build Scheme scheme . This fund involves local authorities making available serviced sites at reduced cost to support self-build home ownership.

The Fund is targeted to deliver some 2,000 homes by 2025.

The CPO Activation Programme was launched in April 2023. It provides for a planned, systematic and proactive approach by local authorities to bringing vacant and derelict properties into use. Targets have been set for each local authority for the number of identified vacant and derelict properties to enter the CPO Activation Programme and for the number of compulsory acquisitions to be undertaken. This Programme includes guidance and supports for local authorities to actively use their legislative powers to acquire vacant and derelict properties, where engagement with owners has been unsuccessful.

Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) Activation Programme

Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are responsible for dealing with derelict sites in their area. They can use certain powers to enforce the clean-up of these sites.

Under the Act, local authorities can:

• prosecute owners who do not comply with notices served
• acquire derelict sites by agreement, or by compulsory land purchase
• carry out necessary work themselves and charge the owners for the cost.

All local authorities must:

• maintain a derelict sites register
• make the register available for public inspection - It can remove an entry from the register when it is satisfied that improvement works have been carried out on the derelict site.

It is open to any person to contact a local authority in relation to a particular site which may be considered a derelict site.

Read more on the derelict sites register

The Minister for Finance announced the introduction of a Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) in his Budget statement on 27 September 2022. The tax came into effect in 2023.

The primary purpose of this new tax is to increase the supply of homes for rent or purchase to meet demand. The tax will be applied to residential properties that are occupied as a dwelling for less than 30 days in a 12-month period.

A number of exemptions are available.

The tax will be charged at a rate of three times the basic rate of Local Property Tax (LPT) applying to the property. VHT will be a self-assessed tax.

More information on the Vacant Homes Tax (VHT)

The Vacant Homes Action Plan outlines progress in implementing actions relating to vacancy and efficient use of existing stock contained in Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan to 2030.

The Action Plan reports on the progress that has been made and delivered to date. It also identifies the actions to be pursued in order to continue to return as many recoverable vacant properties back to viable use as possible, increase the supply of housing available, whilst also revitalising the vibrancy of local communities.