Housing grants and schemes
Home Renovation Incentive
Homeowners and landlords can claim a tax credit on the cost of improvements to residential property. This scheme has been extended to end 2016.
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.
Home Renovation Incentive
The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) scheme enables homeowners or landlords to claim tax relief on repairs, renovations or improvement work that is carried out on their main home or rental property by tax-compliant contractors and that is subject to 13.5% VAT.
In order to qualify for the HRI, the work must be done between 25 October 2013 and 31 December 2016 for homeowners and between 15 October 2014 and 31 December 2016 for landlords. (The original end date was December 2015.)
The HRI is paid in the form of a tax credit at 13.5% of qualifying expenditure, which can be set against your income tax over 2 years. This effectively reduces the rate of VAT to zero on qualifying work, up to a value of €30,000.
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/reliefs/hri/index.html
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability:
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 mental health difficulty to live in.
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. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included, but only under certain conditions.
If you only require minor work, you can apply for the means-tested Mobility Aids Grant Scheme instead.
These 2 schemes (and the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme) are administered by local authorities, under the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations 2007, which were amended by new Regulations in 2014.
VAT refunds are available on aids and appliances used by people with disabilities. This refund scheme also applies to the cost of installation and adaptation work. Several other grants and schemes are outlined in ‘Other financial supports’ below.
Housing Aid for Older People Scheme
The Housing Aid for Older People Scheme is used to improve the condition of an older person’s home. In general, it is aimed at people 66 years of age and older, who are living in poor housing conditions. However, in cases of genuine hardship the local authority may assist people under age 66.
If you have a disability and your home needs to be adapted to make it more accessible, the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability or the Mobility Aids Grant Scheme may be more suitable for you.
These 3 schemes are administered by local authorities, under the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations 2007, which were amended by new Regulations in 2014.
VAT refunds are available on aids and appliances used by people with disabilities. This refund scheme also applies to the cost of installation work.
Mobility Aids Grant Scheme
The Mobility Aids Grant Scheme provides grants for works designed to address mobility problems in the home, such as the purchase and installation of grab-rails, a level access shower, access ramps or a stair-lift. The scheme is primarily for older people, but people with a disability can also apply for it.
If you need more extensive works done, or if you do not qualify under the means test, you can apply for the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability instead. Depending on your situation, the Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme may be more suitable for you.
These 3 schemes are administered by local authorities, under the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People With A Disability), Regulations 2007, which were amended by new Regulations in 2014.
You can apply for a refund of VAT on the aids and appliances that you need. This refund scheme also applies to the cost of the installation work.
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.
Improvement works in lieu of local authority housing
This scheme enables local authorities to improve or extend privately owned houses as an alternative to providing local authority housing. Carrying out the work must satisfy your housing need and result in your removal from the housing waiting list.
It is aimed at:
Owner-occupiers whose homes are overcrowded or sub-standard and who cannot afford to carry out improvements and
Local authority tenants, people on the housing list, tenant purchasers or housing association tenants who want to move into a home owned by a relative but cannot because the home is sub-standard or too small.
If you qualify, the local authority will carry out works to adapt the house or to provide extra bedrooms. The local authority will pay the full cost of the works carried out and you will then pay a charge to the local authority for a maximum of 15 years. If during the 15-year period, you have paid an amount equal to the total cost of the works, the charge will stop.
The charge will be worked out in a similar way to the differential rent scheme for local authority rents, so it is based on your ability to pay.
Housing for older people
Local authorities are obliged to provide housing for older people on broadly the same basis as for the rest of the population. In general, they take age into account when prioritising applications for housing. Some local authorities and voluntary organisations provide specific housing for older people.
There are some housing-related grants that are particularly relevant to older people or people with disabilities. In addition, the VAT refund scheme on aids and appliances used by people with disabilities also applies to the cost of installation and adaptation work.
Link: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing_grants_and_schemes/older_people_housing.html
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).
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 replaces the earlier Warmer Homes Scheme.
Full details of the scheme are on the SEAI’s website and further useful information is on the Keeping Well and Warm website.
Link: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing_grants_and_schemes/warmer_homes_scheme.html
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).