Press release
Department of Finance publishes preliminary figures on Vacant Homes Tax returns to date
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Initial figures from Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) returns, as provided by Revenue, are published today 21 November.
As of 20 November, over 50,000 properties have been reported through Revenue’s VHT portal, with approximately 5,000 properties declared as vacant and 45,000 as occupied.
Out of this total, approximately 2,000 of these properties have claimed an exemption from the tax. This leaves approximately 3,000 properties with a liability to VHT.
The following table provides a breakdown of the number of VHT exemptions claimed for the period ending 31 October 2023*:
| Properties where the owner has died | 116 |
| Properties where a Grant of Representation was issued | 29 |
| Properties actively marketed for sale or rent | 580 |
| Properties subject to certain Court Orders | 12 |
| Properties that underwent structural work | 972 |
| Properties unoccupied due to illness of the owner | 256 |
| Total | 1,965 |
| *Preliminary data as at 15/11/2023 |
VHT is a self-assessed tax introduced in the Finance Act 2022. The key objective of the tax is to increase the supply of homes available for rent or purchase, by encouraging the owners of vacant residential properties to bring those properties back into use.
VHT applies to properties which are residential properties for the purposes of Local Property Tax (LPT) and have been used as a dwelling for less than 30 days in a chargeable period. VHT will not therefore apply to:
The first chargeable period for VHT ran from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. Those who own a vacant residential property which does not fall within one of the above exclusions are required to confirm if their property is liable to the tax.
VHT is set at a rate equal to three times the property’s base LPT charge, that is, the LPT charge for the relevant band before any Local Adjustment Factor. Where applicable, VHT is payable in addition to any LPT payable in respect of a property.
The rate of VHT was increased to 5 times the property’s base LPT charge in Budget 2024.
VHT is administered and collected by Revenue. As with all tax and duty obligations, Revenue’s approach is to seek to maximise voluntary compliance. Revenue has provided detailed information about the tax on its website and has published a tax and duty manual on the tax. In addition, Revenue provides comprehensive online services, as well as a designated telephone helpline, to assist property owners in meeting their obligations.
Where property owners fail to meet their VHT obligations, the legislation contains a number of provisions designed to encourage compliance with VHT and address non-compliance. The legislation also provides for the exchange of information between Revenue and other bodies such as Local Authorities for the purposes of administering the tax and maintaining the register of vacant properties.
Revenue has undertaken significant work to identify an initial subset of residential properties which may come within scope of the VHT.
A preliminary property register has been used to issue correspondence to approximately 25,000 property owners who are identified as being potentially liable for the tax. Revenue published a detailed note explaining how it developed this register on its website on 27 September.
Property owners are required to self-assess their liability and submit a return if they determine that the tax applies to their property, even if they do not receive correspondence from Revenue. The obligation remains on the taxpayer. Revenue may contact further property owners at a later date following further data analysis.