Vacant Home Grant Drawdown Rates Range From 46% To 16% Depending On Local Authority
Data shows Kildare, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and Laois lead on drawdowns while Galway County and Kerry lag behind
26 January 2026 | 📧 editor@irishrealestate.news
Latest data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant shows that where you live significantly affects how likely an application is to result in a completed home, with wide variations in performance between local authorities once demand is factored in.
While national figures released this week show more than 3,000 vacant or derelict homes were brought back into use in 2025, raw totals mask a more uneven picture. Larger counties with high application volumes naturally dominate headline numbers, but a closer look at drawdown rates – completed grants as a share of applications received – provides a clearer measure of delivery on the ground.
Using cumulative data to 31 December 2025, the drawdown rate is calculated by dividing the number of grants paid on completion of works by the total number of applications received in each local authority. This approach normalises for demand and allows fairer county-to-county comparison, while noting that some applications remain in progress.
On this basis, Kildare County Council emerges as the strongest performer nationally, with 46.6 per cent of applications resulting in completed refurbishments. It is followed closely by Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown at 44.4 per cent, Laois at 43.4 per cent, Sligo at 38.0 per cent, and South Dublin at 36.6 per cent. These councils are converting a high proportion of interest into completed homes, suggesting stronger throughput from application to delivery.
By contrast, several local authorities record much lower conversion rates. Galway County Council sits at the bottom of the table, with just 16.3 per cent of applications resulting in completed homes. Kerry follows at 17.9 per cent, with Waterford, Cavan and Mayo all clustered around the 20 per cent mark. These figures indicate that while demand for the grant exists, a far smaller share of applicants are reaching the point where homes are actually brought back into use.
The analysis also reframes how headline leaders are interpreted. Donegal County Council, which leads nationally in absolute numbers of applications, approvals and completed grants, ranks mid-table on drawdown rate at 27.7 per cent. Its performance reflects scale rather than efficiency, with strong take-up but a lower proportion of applications reaching completion compared with the top-performing councils.
For consumers considering the scheme, the findings highlight that access to the grant is only part of the story. The likelihood of a vacant home being successfully refurbished depends not just on national policy, but on local delivery, capacity and conditions. For policymakers, the data points to the need to understand why some councils consistently convert applications into homes, while others struggle to do so, despite similar grant terms nationwide.
As the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant continues to expand, including enhanced supports expected later in 2026, these conversion rates provide an early indicator of where the scheme is most effective – and where further intervention may be needed to turn applications into homes.
