Minister for Housing publishes latest Vacant Homes Action Plan Progress Report
- Foilsithe: 25 Márta 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 12 Aibreán 2025
- report shows significant progress in reducing vacancy and dereliction, resulting in declining national vacancy levels
- 7,700 applications for Vacancy Property Refurbishment Grant approved and over 1,400 grants already paid out
- over 1,200 properties approved for Urban Regeneration and Development Funding
- over 1,100 notifications received for planning exemptions to turn vacant premises into homes
- now 52 ‘Town Centre First’ towns across the country with an additional 72 new town teams being established
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne today briefed the Cabinet on the latest Vacant Homes Action Plan Progress Report. The report highlights the key measures that have been taken and the impact they are having in effectively bringing thousands of properties back into use as homes. Indeed, with respect to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, 7,700 applications have been approved and over 1,400 grants already paid out, as refurbishment works are completed.
Minister Browne said:
“Addressing vacancy and maximising the use of existing housing stock is a primary objective of this government. The re-use and regeneration of vacant and derelict properties in cities, towns, villages and rural areas not only provides much needed housing, it also transforms and revitalises communities.
“Our comprehensive strategy, leveraging numerous incentives and funding opportunities, has successfully returned thousands of previously empty properties into use as people's homes. This has resulted in declining vacancy levels across the country with the latest national vacancy rate from GeoDirectory standing at 3.8%, the lowest recorded since 2013."
Some of the progress outlined in the report:
Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: Over 11,300 applications to local authorities since its introduction, 7,700 approved and over 1,400 grants paid out, as refurbishment works are completed.
Call 3 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund: This €150 million fund is for local authorities to acquire long term vacant and derelict residential and commercial buildings. There have now been over 1,200 properties approved and added to local authorities’ programmes with the expected yield of approximately 4,800 residential units by 2030.
Planning regulations now exempt certain vacant commercial premises, including ‘over the shop’ type spaces, from requiring planning permission to change to residential purposes. By the end of 2023, over 1,100 notifications had been received from developers which could result in some 2,700 new homes being provided.
The Repair and Leasing Scheme and the Social Housing Investment Programme funds the conversion of vacant properties for use as social housing. Up to Q3 2024, over 100 new social homes have been developed using these initiatives.
The Town Centre First policy, a €4.5 million package of measures to support town plans is being implemented. There are now 52 Town Centre First towns across the country with an additional 72 new town teams being established. Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key feature of town plans.
Refurbishment of vacant traditional houses and traditional farmhouses: Provides a grant for conservation advice to support refurbishment of vacant traditional houses and traditional farmhouses.
Compulsory Purchase Order Activation Programme continues to encourage and support local authorities to take a proactive and systematic approach to identifying vacant and derelict properties and engaging with owners to bring these properties back into use as homes.
The Vacant Homes Tax has been increased from five to seven times a property’s base Local Property Tax liability, providing a stronger disincentive to leaving a home lie vacant.
Minister Browne added:
“The action taken to date has already yielded significant results and developed a momentum upon which we can build. We are determined to continue this progress and maximise the use of vacant stock to provide life changing benefits for individuals and families as well as bringing new life to our cities, towns, villages and rural areas."
Vacant Homes Action Plan Progress Report.
Finally, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage today aired a new video which gives an insight into the tangible impact of the action plan’s incentives and funding. It tells the story of the restoration of a previously disused home in Sligo town which has been brought back to life and transformed into a modern, comfortable home: