Cork County Council get most refurbishment grant applications

CORK County Council received more applications for Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants than anywhere else in the country last year.

Figures released by the Department of Housing show that in 2022, Cork County Council received 84 applications from people seeking the grant of up to €50,000 to refurbish vacant and derelict properties to live in.

Cork City Council had received a total of eight applications for the grant by the end of last year.

Cork County Council was the local authority that received the highest number of applications, and Cork was the county with the most applications received overall, across county and city councils.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, launched in July 2022, is a payment you can get if you are turning a vacant house or building into your permanent home.

First only available for eligible vacant properties in towns and villages, it was extended to include vacant properties in cities and all rural areas on 15 November 2022.

A grant of up to €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence. Where a property is derelict, a top-up grant of €20,000 is available, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to €50,000.

Across the country, 765 applications were made for the grant. 366 property owners applied for the Vacant Refurbishment Grant, while 388 applications were made for the Derelict Property Top-up grant.

The grant process involves the local authority receiving, reviewing and validating applications and arranging for a qualified person to visit the property to check that it is possible to do the work and to assess the proposed cost.

Following confirmation of a successful application and the works being completed, the local authority will conduct a final property visit to review that the work has been completed in line with grant application. Once the local authority is satisfied, they will then pay the grant.

While 105 applications have since been approved, including 10 approved by Cork County Council, no grants have yet been issued to any applicants.