Housing grants and schemes
For Full Information Click on the Links Below
Home Renovation Incentive
Homeowners and landlords can claim a tax credit on the cost of improvements to residential property.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability
Grants for alterations that need to be made to a home to make it suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or a mental health difficulty.
Housing Aid for Older People Scheme
Grants are available to improve the homes of older people so that they can stay in their own homes for as long as possible.
Mobility Aids Grant Scheme
A grant to help with the cost of works to address mobility problems in the home.
Improvement works in lieu of local authority housing
Local authorities may improve or extend privately owned houses as an alternative to providing local authority housing.
Local authority home improvement loans
Local authority loans are available to owner-occupiers towards the cost of necessary works to improve, repair or extend their houses.
Housing for older people
Schemes and grants for housing and home improvements for older people and people with disabilities.
Better Energy Homes scheme
This scheme provides grants to help to increase the energy efficiency of homes, including grants for home insulation.
Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme
This scheme aims to increase the energy efficiency and warmth of homes where people on low incomes are living.
Grant scheme to replace lead pipes and fittings
Grants to help low-income households with the cost of replacing domestic water piping that contains lead.
Repair and Leasing Scheme
A new scheme to bring vacant properties into use for social housing
Housing Adaptation Grants
A housing adaptation grant is available where changes need to be made to a home to make it suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability, or a mental health difficulty to live in.
The disability grants in Ireland can help you to make changes and adaptations to your home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom, toilet, or stair-lift. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included, but only under certain conditions. Contact your local authority for more details.
If you only require minor work, you can apply for the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme instead. However, you must satisfy the means test.
Rules for Disability Grants in Ireland
The home adaptation grant can be paid to people in:
• Owner-occupied housing.
• Houses being purchased from a local authority under the tenant purchase scheme.
• Private rented accommodation (the duration of your tenancy can affect grant approval).
• Accommodation provided under the voluntary housing Capital Assistance and Rental Subsidy schemes.
• Accommodation occupied by persons living in communal residences.
Your application will be prioritised based on medical need. There are 3 priority levels:
• Priority 1: A person who is terminally ill or fully/mainly dependent on family or a carer; or where alterations/adaptations would facilitate a discharge from a hospital or alleviate the need for hospitalisation in the future.
• Priority 2: A person who is mobile but needs assistance washing, toilet facilities, bedroom assistance etc; or where without the alterations/adaptations the disabled person’s ability to function independently would be hindered.
• Priority 3: A person who is independent but requires special facilities to improve their quality of life, for example, a separate bedroom or living space.
When the local authority receives your application, it may ask for an Occupational Therapist’s (OT) assessment. The local authority can arrange for an OT assessment, but you can hire an OT privately to carry out an assessment and recoup up to €200 as part of the total grant, up to the maximum you are entitled to.
Means Test for the Housing Adaptation Grant
The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability is a means-tested grant. This means your total household income is assessed to find out if you qualify for the grant and the amount payable.
Household income is the property owner’s (or tenant’s, in the case of private renting) and spouse’s/partner’s annual gross income in the previous tax year.
The following is not taken into account when calculating your household income:
• €5,000 for each member of the household aged up to 18 years.
• €5,000 for each member of the household aged between 18 and 23 years and in full-time education or a FÁS apprenticeship.
• €5,000 where the person with a disability (in respect of whom the grant is applied for) is being cared for by a relative on a full-time basis.
• Child Benefit
• Family Income Supplement
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Respite Care Grant
• Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Allowance (if the carer’s payment is made in respect of the person the application is for.)
Tax clearance for Disability Grants in Ireland
The applicant of a housing adaptation grant of more than €10,000 (Ex. Vat) must personally have a valid Tax Clearance Certificate which can be obtained from the revenue. If you intend to pay more than €650 to a contractor, you must get your contractor to submit their C2/Tax Clearance Certificate to the local authority.
Starting the Work to Adapt Your Home
The home adaptation grant will not be paid if you start work before the grant is approved. However, it is expected that the work will start within six months of your grant approval.
Rates
Priority will be given to people on medical grounds. If your household income is less than €30,000 you may qualify for 95% of the cost of the works (up to the maximum grant amount of €30,000). The proportion of the costs to be grant-aided will be tapered from 95% to 30% which will apply when household income is between €50,001 and €60,000.
If you are unable to get a loan from a bank or building society to pay for the costs not covered by the grant, you may be able to get a local authority home improvement loan. If your house is less than 12 months old the grant will generally not exceed €14,500.
If you are a local authority tenant, the local authority will meet the entire cost of the
works.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (houses over 12 months old):
| Annual Household Income | Percentage of Cost of Works Available | Maximum Grant for houses erected for more than 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €30,000 | 95% | €30,000 |
| €30,001 – €35,000 | 85% | €25,000 |
| €35,001 – €40,000 | 75% | €22,500 |
| €40,001 – €50,000 | 50% | €15,000 |
| €50,001 – €60,000 | 30% | €9,000 |
| In excess of €60,000 | No grant payable |
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability (houses less than 12 months old):
| Annual Household Income | Percentage of Cost of Works Available | Maximum Grant for houses erected for less than 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €30,000 | 95% | €14,500 |
| €30,001 – €35,000 | 85% | €12,325 |
| €35,001 – €40,000 | 75% | €10,875 |
| €40,001 – €50,000 | 50% | €7,250 |
| €50,001 – €60,000 | 30% | €4,350 |
| In excess of €60,000 | No grant is payable |
You should contact the Housing Department of your local authority for further information on housing adaptation grants. (Citizens Information)
Click HERE for contact details for your Local Council.
Housing for older people
Grant schemes
Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme
The Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme aims to improve the living conditions of older people by carrying out minor repairs to the main areas of their homes.
The type of work that is grant-aided varies from one local authority to another. In general, it can include structural repairs or improvements; rewiring; repair or replacement of windows and doors; the provision of water, sanitary services or heating; cleaning and painting; radon remediation; and any other repair or improvement work considered necessary.
Check with your local authority to see what types of work it covers under the scheme.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability
If you need to adapt your home to meet the needs of a member of the household who has a disability, you can apply for a Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability.
The grant can help you to make changes and adaptations to your home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or a stair-lift.
If you are buying or building a new home, you may qualify for this grant, but at a lower rate.
Mobility Aids Grant Scheme
The Mobility Aids Grant Scheme provides grants for works designed to address mobility problems in the home. For example, the grant can be used for the purchase and installation of handrails. It is mainly for older people, but people with disabilities can also access it.
The amount of assistance you can get under this Scheme is less than under the Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme and the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability. It is a useful scheme if you need minor adaptations or improvements done quickly.
Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme
The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people on low incomes. It is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and is available nationwide. It covers attic insulation, draught-proofing, lagging jackets, energy-efficient bulbs, cavity wall insulation and energy advice.
Security measures for older people
The Seniors Alert Scheme provides funds to local community and voluntary organisations to install personal monitored alarms and items of home security. Grants can be made to provide security measures for people aged 65 or over who are living alone, or only with other older people, and who are unable themselves to install or buy such equipment.
Local authority home improvement loans
Local authority loans are available to owner-occupiers towards the cost of necessary works to improve, repair or extend their existing houses.
Rules
You may be eligible for a local authority home improvement loan if you can show the local authority that you cannot get a loan from a bank or building society and:
- Your house needs improving, repairing or extending due to overcrowding and your income satisfies the income test below, or
- You are registered on a housing waiting list with a local authority, or
- You are a local authority tenant or a tenant purchaser and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority,
- You are a tenant for more than one year of a home provided by a housing association under the Rental Subsidy Scheme and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority.
Note that the income test only applies to the first category; if you are covered by the second, third or fourth category you are exempt from the income test.
The income test
- Single-income household
If your gross income before tax in the last income tax year was €40,000 or less, you are eligible.
- Two-income households
Multiply the gross income (before tax) of the higher earner in the last income tax year by 2.5 and add the gross income of the other earner in the last income tax year. If the answer is €100,000 or less, you are eligible.
Better Energy Homes Scheme
The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides grants to homeowners to improve energy efficiency in their homes. Landlords and owners of more than one property can also apply for a grant under the scheme. It is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Rules
Grants are available for the following energy-saving work:
- Roof insulation
- Wall insulation – for example, cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation
- Heating controls upgrade
- Installation of a high-efficiency boiler (more than 90% efficiency) including a heating controls upgrade
- A Building Energy Rating (BER) after the energy-saving work is carried out (you must get this BER to qualify for the grant)
- Solar heating
See the Application Guide (pdf) for summary performance requirements under each of these measures. Your contractor(s) must carry out the works in accordance with detailed standards set out in the Contractor Code of Practice and Technical Specification (pdf).
SEAI publishes detailed FAQs about the Better Energy Homes Scheme.
Grant scheme to replace lead pipes and fittings
A new grant scheme has been set up to help low-income households with the cost of replacing lead piping in their homes. The scheme is being introduced under the Domestic Lead Remediation (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2016 (pdf).
More details of the scheme are on environ.ie, along with a combined information note and application form (pdf).
Rules
You must own the dwelling and live in it as your principal private residence. The lead pipes and fittings being replaced must form part of a system that carries water for preparing food or drinks or for direct human consumption.
You must get the remedial work done before applying for the grant. Any contractor that you use must give you a current tax clearance certificate. They must provide itemised receipts, detailing the work carried out and the associated costs. They must also certify in writing that any materials used, including pipes and fittings, are of appropriate quality and that a proper standard of workmanship has been applied. You will need to enclose these certificates and receipts with your application for the grant.
You must also provide evidence of a risk of lead contamination in your home. Acceptable evidence is either:
- A notification from your water supplier advising that your water system is likely to contain lead pipes and fittings
or
- A laboratory certificate issued within the previous 6 months, showing a parametric value for lead in your water supply that is over the statutory limit. The issuing laboratory must be accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) for testing for lead in drinking water.
Evidence of income
The grant is means-tested – see ‘Rates’ below. You will have to provide evidence of your household income when applying. This is calculated as your gross taxable income in the previous tax year, together with that of your spouse or partner. The required evidence is:
- For employees paying tax under PAYE, a balancing statement (P21) or equivalent document from Revenue
- For self-employed people, a notice of income tax assessment or equivalent document from Revenue
- For people on social welfare payments, a statement of income from the Department of Social Protection