Derelict & vacant property — independent route guide
Find, assess, fund and renovate a derelict property in Ireland — without burning the grants.
Ireland has roughly 81,000 long-vacant homes, and the grant stack to bring them back has never been higher: up to €70,000 from Croí Cónaithe, plus the full SEAI energy grant suite on top. The hard part is sequencing — buy wrong, start works early, or pick the wrong route and the grants vanish. This is the independent step-by-step.
Last verified May 2026 against Department of Housing & SEAI guidance. Independent guide — not affiliated with the Department, your local authority, or SEAI.
~81,000
Long-vacant homes in Ireland (Census 2022 — vacant 2+ years)
Up to €70,000
Combined Croí Cónaithe grant for a derelict property
Stacks with SEAI
Energy grants on top — no double-funding the same measure
Free · 2 minutes · No sign-up
Will the property qualify for Croí Cónaithe?
Answer 7 quick questions about the property and we will tell you whether it likely qualifies (up to €50,000 vacant / €70,000 derelict), what blockers stand in the way, and how much SEAI energy support stacks on top.
The derelict-property pathway
Order matters: pre-purchase due diligence → grant approval → works → draw-down. Start any of the works before written grant approval and that line goes unfunded. The four cards above are sequence steps, not options.
1 · Find
Find a vacant or derelict property
Local-authority Derelict Sites Registers (one per council) plus GeoHive vacancy data. Walking the area helps — many vacancy candidates are not yet on any register.
See Derelict Sites guidance ↗2 · Check
Check eligibility — Croí Cónaithe + SEAI
Answer 7 questions and get an instant estimate of how much Croí Cónaithe (up to €70,000) and SEAI energy grants you may qualify for. Indicative only — but tells you the blockers before you bid.
Run the eligibility check3 · Assess
Coming soonAssess condition before you commit
A LiDAR scan captures the real condition of a derelict property in 1–2 hours — accurate floor plans, 3D model, and a shareable record for contractors and grant applications. Coming soon as a service.
Coming soon — register interest4 · Fund
Fund the renovation
Up to €70,000 from Croí Cónaithe for the structural / electrical / plumbing / finish works, plus the full SEAI energy grant stack on top for insulation, heat pump, solar and windows. The two stack — but never on the same line.
Read the Vacant Property Grant guideDo not start works before written grant approval
Croí Cónaithe and SEAI both treat early-started works as ineligible — full stop. Apply, wait for the written approval, then start. This is the single most common reason an otherwise-eligible property loses its grant funding.