Laois pays out over €6m in vacant home grants
Grants are available to restore vacant and derelict homes. File image
MORE than €6m has been paid out by Laois County Council under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants Scheme.
The scheme, which was introduced in July 2022, provides funding for the refurbishment of a vacant or derelict home, or the renovation of a vacant or derelict commercial property now intended for residential use.
Since the scheme was introduced, 267 applications have been received in Laois, with the council paying out €6,357,980. 205 of those applications have been approved, while 11 have been rejected.
Of the property owners who have received approval, 116 have completed the refurbishment works.
A €50,000 grant is available for vacant properties. If a property is derelict, there is a top-up available of €20,000, providing a total grant of €70,000.
In December 2025, the Government announced that the scheme will be extended to incorporate a ‘Vacant Above the Shop Grant’ in early 2026. This can be used to convert vacant spaces above shops into accommodation.
Seán Fleming TD (FF) welcomed the uptick in applications across Laois. He said: “This grant is taking the scourge of dereliction and vacancy head-on.
“The surge in vacancy grant payments underlines its growing success in bringing homes back into use across our rural areas, villages and towns in Laois.
“As more and more applications are approved, I fully expect this trend to continue, and more disused properties will become permanent homes for people”.
Deputy Fleming appeals to anyone in the county who has a vacant property to consider this grant scheme.
Figures from Laois County Council chief executive Michael Rainey’s management report to the December 2025 meeting of the council show that there are currently 45 sites on the Laois Derelict Sites Register, which are being charged annual fines for letting their properties deteriorate.
However, less than one in 10 of the value of the fines are being paid in Laois. In 2025 the council issued fines totalling €233,100 but received payments of only €18,316. In 2024 it sent notices totalling nearly €185,000 and received just €17,150.
A repair and leasing scheme, whereby the council leases the repaired house back for their own tenants, is proving much less popular than Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants Scheme. Just two applications were made in 2025.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund.
