144 homes in Laois brought back to life through vacant property grant

The latest figures show that over €7,876,333 has been paid out in the grants

Published 19th Jul 2026, 13:55 BST File photo. The latest figures show that over €7,876,333 has been paid out in the grants Sign up to our Laois Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Laois Live within your account.

The latest figures from Laois show that 144 homes have been brought back into use in the county through the support of the vacant and derelict property grants.

Since this grant scheme was introduced in 2022, there have been 296 applications in Laois. To date, 230 of these applications have been approved, with 144 of these properties now fully refurbished.

Over €7,876,333 has been paid out in the grants since 2022. The average grant payment is €54,697.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is available for up to a maximum of €50,000, including VAT, for the refurbishment of vacant properties for use as private residences or for rent. This includes the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential.

A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is also available for properties which are derelict.

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The scheme was expanded in March to support more vacant and derelict properties being refurbished to provide homes. This includes the provision of top-up amounts to existing grant levels where vacant former commercial/public use buildings are being converted in their entirety into two or more residential units.

Welcoming the figures from Laois, TD Sean Fleming has encouraged anyone wishing to avail of the grant to do so.

“86 applications have been approved but the work has not yet been completed. I urge the owners of these properties to complete the works as soon as possible so that the grant can be paid out.”

Commenting on the figures, Deputy Fleming said: “Travelling through Laois it is great to see all these vacant properties being brought back into use for families and bringing new life back into these areas.

“I would urge everybody in the county who has a vacant property to consider applying for this grant, which is great value for money.

“In the last 3 months there have been 16 new applications for this grant to Laois County Council and I look forward to work commencing on these as soon as possible.

”Finally, this grant is a great opportunity for local small and medium size builders to get work here in the county and not having to travel outside the area to pick up work.”