7,000 vacant properties back in use thanks to grant assistance

More than 7,000 previously vacant and derelict properties have been restored to residential use through the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, TD, has said today.

His statement was issued with the publication of his department’s Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics for Q3 2026.

Westmeath County Council have received 433 applications in total, approved 321, rejected six, and issued 168 grants on completion of works, worth a total of €9,542,544.

In Q3 2026, they received grant 12 applications, approved 20 (the other applications were received in the previous quarter), rejected none, and the value of grants issued on completion of works is €1,063,321.

The council have received and approved one Vacant Above the Shop Grant application, but no grant has been paid out yet.

In total, the scheme has now helped bring 7,162 vacant and derelict properties back into use, backed by some €396 million in grant funding.

Demand remains strong, and almost 20,000 applications have been received and more than 15,000 approvals granted since the launch of the scheme in 2022.

In the third quarter of this year, the scheme supported the refurbishment of 809 vacant and derelict homes.

The Vacant Above the Shop Grant gained 30 additional application in Q3, taking the total submitted since the launch of the scheme earlier this year to 78.

Thats reflects increasing interest in town centre living and the reuse of vacant upper-floor space as a means of expanding housing supply, said the department statement.

Minister Browne said: “Dereliction is a scourge that blights communities, undermines town and village centres, and removes much-needed homes from use, and it is something this government will not tolerate.

“The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is delivering real results across the country, and the more than 7,000 homes now brought back into use through the scheme represent thousands of families, homebuyers and renters who now have access to homes that may otherwise have remained vacant, while also helping to revitalise communities.

“It is encouraging to see continued momentum in Vacant Above the Shop applications, which will play a vital role to play in regenerating our towns and villages while providing additional homes in well-serviced locations.”