Over €1.5 million has been paid out in Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants to bring homes in Kerry back into use in the second quarter of this year.
That’s according to figures from the Department of Housing, which show more than €155 million has been paid under the scheme nationally since it was launched in 2022.
Kerry Fianna Fáil TD, Michael Cahill has welcomed the figures, stating the initiative is a game changer.
He says it shows the scheme is breathing new life into vacant and derelict buildings and turning them into much-needed homes.
The vacant property refurbishment grant was introduced in the summer of 2022, in an effort to incentivise people to renovate existing vacant properties to increase housing supply.
A grant of €50,000 is available to turn a vacant property into a permanent home or rental property, and an additional €20,000 is available if the property is also derelict.
The grants are paid out after the works are completed.
Figures from the Department of Housing show since the scheme was launched, over €4.5 million (€4,502,100) has been paid to bring 81 houses in Kerry back into residential use from vacancy.
Since its induction Kerry County Council has received 623 applications, with 363 approvals and 82 rejections up to the June 30th.
In the second quarter of this year over €1.5 million (€1,536,750) in grants were paid out in the county on the completion of 27 homes.
The report shows during this period the council received 52 applications for the scheme, 27 of which have been approved, while no application was rejected.
Meanwhile, 60 applications were approved between April and June, this figure includes applications received in the previous quarter.
