€5k advice grant now available for anyone considering availing of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

In this article we cover:

• What is the advice grant
• Who qualifies
• How to apply

Those who are thinking of buying a vacant property with a view to doing it up are now eligible for a €5k grant; the catch is the deadline for applications is the 31st of July 2024 at 5PM. The scheme was announced on the 28th June 2024 at 4PM.

The Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Houses subsidises the cost of hiring someone to provide expert conservation advice.

The grant is being rolled out thanks to the success of the pilot scheme of the same name launched in June 2023; the grant amount under the pilot scheme was €7,500.

To be eligible you must own a traditional houses and avail of, or consider availing of, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, which offers up to €70k in subsidies towards renovating a derelict building. Grants of up to €50k are available for vacant properties that aren’t derelict, and higher amounts are available for island properties (€60k and €84k respectively).

The building must be have been vacant for at least two years and built no later than 2007.

The advice grant covers up to 67 per cent of the costs (up to a maximum grant of €5,000) of hiring a conservation expert to: visit your vacant/derelict property, conduct a survey, and compile a report with tailored conservation advice.

This expert report must include:

• the condition of the building
• identify conservation improvements that enhance the building’s character, energy efficiency, integrity, and amenity.

The expert must have “proven and appropriate expertise”. See last point in ‘How to apply’ for what type of expert qualifies.

Who qualifies: building types

You must own the property and you can carry out the work to live in, or to have the building rented out. The property must be vacant for at least two years at the time you apply.

After that, you can apply under two streams:

Stream 1: Open to owners of vacant traditional houses in villages, towns and cities where the building is a Protected Structure and/or an historic structure within an Architectural Conservation Area. Residential houses and commercial buildings qualify for the scheme where the intended use is as a single dwelling or a single dwelling over a shop. This scheme supports the aims of the Town Centre First Policy and Housing for All. For the purposes of the scheme, the definitions of villages, towns and cities come from the CSO’s list of towns used to compile data under Census 2022.

Stream 2: Open to owners of Vacant Traditional Farmhouses where the building is a Protected Structure and/or an historic farmhouse located within an Architectural Conservation Area and/or a vernacular farmhouse which has no statutory protection, built of materials such as thatch, stone, slate, earth, wattle, unsawn timber.

How to apply for the €5k advice grant

You must complete the application form by July 31st 2024 at 5PM.

According to the guidance document for Stream 1, the application must include the following:

• Proof of ownership.
• Evidence of vacancy.
• Site location map.
• Clear and current photograph(s) of the building. It is important that good-quality digital photographs (minimum of 8) are included which illustrate the building/buildings in question as this will inform the assessment of the application. Photographs should be clearly labelled with a short description of the content. Photographs should include exterior (front & rear); related outbuildings; general view of site/context to provide an understanding of the wider setting etc.; interior details, such as windows, doors, stairs, shop fitting, decorative plasterwork, fireplaces, flagged/tiled floor etc.; related out-buildings etc. It is essential that these photographs are clear and of sufficient quality to allow an informed assessment of the building. Please note that the Department reserves the right to use any or all images to advertise or publicise the scheme.
• A quotation to include a cost breakdown from your conservation professional. This may include the following: conservation report, as per provided template; pre-works energy analysis, site and building survey and reuse proposal sketch plan.
• Tax reference details for yourself and your conservation professional.
• Selected accredited Conservation Professional to provide evidence of any recent approved CPD in energy upgrading of traditional buildings and in historic buildings.
• Where the selected professional has no conservation accreditation, a CV should be provided to include relevant conservation qualifications and demonstrated conservation experience (working with historic buildings and conservation report writing), along with any recent approved conservation CPD (in particular historic buildings and energy upgrading of traditional buildings). Include sample report which contains condition survey, recommendations and conservation specification of works; evidence/knowledge of how to sensitively retrofit traditionally constructed buildings using suitable materials.

Application documents and further guidance is available here.

For more information, you can email conservationadvicegrants@housing.gov.ie

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