Ireland is offering up to €85,000 to renovate abandoned homes

Ireland is offering up to €85,000 to renovate abandoned homes: how the Our Living Islands programme works and who qualifies

The idea of escaping a tower block or a busy city for a small green island in the middle of the Atlantic sounds like a dream. In Ireland, though, it’s not just a romantic notion – the state offers very specific financial support to anyone willing to renovate an abandoned house on one of the remote islands and live in it permanently.

The media often write about “up to €85,000”; in official documents, the maximum grant is set at €84,000. In practice, it’s still very generous support aimed at helping to save declining island communities.

What the Our Living Islands programme is

Our Living Islands is Ireland’s long-term national policy focused on roughly 30 permanently inhabited islands that are not connected to the mainland by a bridge and are regularly cut off by the tide. The goal is to stop these communities from dying out and to maintain normal life on the islands – schools, healthcare, work, and housing.

The policy includes a whole package of measures, for example:

improving ferry services and infrastructure,
expanding high-speed internet and supporting remote-work hubs,
pilot eHealth solutions (online medical consultations for islanders),
and a specially increased grant for refurbishing vacant and derelict homes on the islands.

It’s this grant that’s behind the media headlines about “€85,000 to live on an Irish island”.

How much money you can actually get

The basis is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (a grant to refurbish vacant properties), which applies across Ireland. On the islands, however, the limit is increased by about 20% to cover higher construction costs.

In simple terms:

Vacant property – “just” an empty home
- on the mainland: up to €50,000,
- on an island: up to €60,000.
Derelict property – a dilapidated, structurally compromised home
- on the mainland: up to €70,000 (€50,000 + €20,000 top-up),
- on an island: up to €84,000 (an increase of about 20%).

This is the figure the media often round up to “€85,000”.

Key details:

the grant is not free cash but a contribution toward specific building works,
it is paid only after the refurbishment is completed and inspected by the local authority,
the maximum amount doesn’t mean everyone automatically gets it – the authority assesses feasibility, the budget, and the property’s actual condition.

The Irish islands paying up to €84,000 to renovate a home - Ireland ...

What conditions you must meet as an applicant

The programme is primarily designed to turn vacant and abandoned properties into full-time family homes – either for the owner to live in or for long-term rental. The core requirements are fairly strict.

In short:

you must own the property or be in an advanced stage of purchasing it (able to show you’re in negotiations with the estate agent/owner),
the home must have been vacant for at least 2 years,
the home must have been built before 2008 (i.e., up to and including 2007),
after renovation, you will either
- live there as your principal private residence, or
- rent it out long-term (the tenancy must be properly registered),
you must be up to date with taxes and other obligations to Irish authorities,
the applicant cannot be a property developer; the grant is intended for individuals.

For the islands, the property must also be located on one of the officially recognised inhabited islands listed by the government (for example Arranmore, Tory Island, Clare Island, and others). (gov.ie)

What type of home qualifies for the grant

It’s not only about a typical stone cottage. The criteria are broader, but still clearly defined:

A traditional family home that was once lived in but has been vacant for at least 2 years.
A derelict house – a home in poor structural condition, potentially listed on a derelict properties register. In that case, the higher amount is available (€84,000 on an island), but you’ll need an engineer’s structural report.
A former non-residential building (e.g., an old shop, pub, or farm building) that you want to convert into a home – it must have the relevant planning permission for change of use.

On the other hand:

the grant does not cover full demolition and building a completely new home from scratch,
the property must not be deliberately kept vacant just to “qualify for the grant”.

What you can spend the grant on (and what you can’t)

The state specifies exactly which works are eligible. In general, these are things that ensure the home is safe, habitable, and meets a basic standard of living.

Typically, this includes:

structural works (foundations, walls, floors/ceilings, stairs),
repairing or replacing the roof, windows, and doors,
electrical, water, heating, and sewerage systems,
bathroom, toilet, basic kitchen units,
internal plastering, floors, damp-proofing and finishes,
essential external works around the home (drainage, safety-related works).

The grant does not cover:

standard household furnishings (furniture, appliances),
premium design features, swimming pools, hot tubs, etc.,
energy upgrades like solar panels or a heat pump – separate schemes exist for that under SEAI (Ireland’s energy authority).

Important: it’s not money for moving – it’s a refurbishment grant

A simplified line often circulates on social media: “Ireland will pay you €85,000 to move to an island.” The reality is a bit different.

The grant:

does not include the cost of buying the home,
does not pay for travel or relocation,
is paid only after works are completed and inspected, not in advance,
is tied exclusively to the repair of a specific property.

The programme is also open to foreigners; it isn’t reserved for Irish citizens. However, it’s not an immigration scheme – if you’re Slovak, you’re relying primarily on your EU freedom of movement rights and on your ability to realistically secure work or income on the island.

How the application works, step by step

The exact process may vary slightly by local authority (county council), but broadly it looks like this:

Find a property
- The home must be on one of the eligible islands and meet the basic criteria (year built, length of vacancy).
Contact the local authority / Vacant Homes Officer
- You’ll get the application form and a list of required supporting documents (proof of ownership, photos, evidence the home is vacant, refurbishment budget, etc.).
Prepare the budget and plan
- Ideally with the help of an architect or engineer – for a derelict property, such a report is often mandatory.
Submit the application
- The authority will send a technician to assess the property’s actual condition and whether the project is feasible within the proposed budget.
Receive approval in principle
- Only then does it make sense to start major works. Without approval, you risk not receiving the grant later.
Renovate the home
- Keep invoices and proof of payment throughout.
Final inspection and payment of the grant
- After the works are completed, there’s another inspection. If everything matches the budget and the plan, the authority will pay the grant in a lump sum or in several tranches (depending on local rules).

Do you really have to live there – and what if you sell?

The state safeguards against the scheme becoming merely a “subsidised investment”. That’s why so-called clawback conditions apply – if you sell the home within a certain period or stop using it in the way the grant was approved for, you may have to repay part of the money.

In principle:

if you sell the home within 5 years, you may need to repay up to 100% of the grant,
if you sell between years 5 and 10, a reduced portion is usually repaid (e.g., 75% – the exact percentages are set out in the relevant authority’s terms),
after more than 10 years, typically nothing is repaid.

Similar rules apply if you promised to live there but instead start short-term letting it as a holiday home or via Airbnb.

Can someone from Slovakia apply for the grant?

For the grant itself, what matters is whether you meet the property-owner eligibility requirements – not your nationality. The programme is open to foreigners if you:

have or will obtain the right to live legally in Ireland,
can prove ownership of the home,
meet the requirements related to taxes and property registration.

As an EU citizen (including Slovaks), you generally have the right to live and work in Ireland, but it still holds that:

you must be able to afford island life (a job, remote work, your own savings),
the grant is paid only after the refurbishment – at the start you need your own capital or financing (a mortgage/loan),
communication, bureaucracy, and planning permissions are handled in English.

Is €84,000 realistically enough for a renovation?

That depends on the specific property:

for a smaller house that isn’t completely wrecked, the grant can cover a large portion of the refurbishment,
for a typical old stone house in “ruin” condition, the total budget can be €200,000 or more – the grant helps significantly but won’t come close to covering everything,
you should expect higher costs for transporting materials and tradespeople to an island.

That’s precisely why the state raised the limit for islands – but even so, you should plan on needing your own funds or bank financing.

Pros and cons of life on an Irish island

Pros:

incredible nature – cliffs, ocean, quiet, minimal traffic,
a strong community where people know one another and help each other,
the option to combine remote work with a very peaceful setting,
the feeling that you’re genuinely helping to sustain a small community and preserve a historic home.

Cons:

wind, rain, and harsh weather – the romance is mostly for photos,
limited services: a doctor, school, or shop may be far away or dependent on the ferry,
poorer access to work if you can’t work remotely,
logistics (building work, shopping, family visits) are more difficult and more expensive.

For some, it’s a dream come true; for others, a nightmare – the grant doesn’t change that, it just lowers the financial barrier.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can I use the home only as a holiday cottage after the renovation?
No. The condition is that it’s used as a permanent home or for a long-term tenancy. Short-term rentals via Airbnb run counter to the idea of the scheme.

Will I get the money in advance so I can pay for the renovation?
No. The grant is a reimbursement – you pay for the works first, then you can apply to be refunded.

Can I use the grant twice?
In general, it’s possible to have one grant for a home you will live in and another for a home you will rent out long-term. However, it depends on the specific rules and the programme’s budget at the time.

How long will the programme run?
The Our Living Islands policy is designed as a 10-year plan (2023–2033). However, the grant mechanism may change over time – amounts, conditions, and the list of islands should always be checked against the most current documents.

Notice: Grant conditions change over time. If you’re seriously considering buying a home on an Irish island, always verify the latest information directly on official government websites or with the relevant local authority.

Video: Explaining the grant and life on Ireland’s islands

If you’d rather watch a video on the topic, here’s one of the clearer compilations about the programme and the options it offers:

And a slightly more detailed look at the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant itself (including outside the islands):

Sources

Government of Ireland – Our Living Islands: National Islands Policy and action plan, including information on support for housing and infrastructure on the islands. (gov.ie)
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage – Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (official scheme description, conditions, and amounts for the mainland). (gov.ie)
Scheme Outline / Application Form – Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant with the island top-up (max. €60,000 for vacant and €84,000 for derelict properties on the islands). (kilkennycoco.ie)
Citizens Information and other advisory portals – an overview of the conditions (vacant for min. 2 years, year built, types of works, limits, and combining with other grants). (citizensinformation.ie)
Analyses and fact-checking articles explaining that this is not “payment for moving”, but a grant for refurbishing vacant homes, also open to foreigners. (PolitiFact)