Over €600,000 has been paid out in Kerry in the first three months of this year in Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants.
That’s according to figures from the Department of Housing, which show €112 million has been paid under the scheme nationally since it was launched in 2022.
The scheme aims to bring vacant and derelict homes back into use.
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, almost €3 million (€2,965,350) has been paid to bring back 54 houses in Kerry into residential use from vacancy.
Since its induction Kerry County Council has received 583 applications, with 306 approvals and 115 rejections up to the March 31st.
In the first quarter of this year over €600,000 (€634,850) in grants were paid out in the county on the completion of 11 homes in Kerry.
The report shows during this period the council received 43 applications for the scheme, 29 of which have been approved, while one was rejected.
