Housing Aid for Older People Grant

What type of home is this grant for?

A home that is privately owned where the older person:

• owns the home; or
• has a right to live in the home (right of residence) where the work will be done

What can I use this grant for?

You can use this grant to do essential repairs. This could be to:

• help repair or replace the roof;
• upgrade the electrical wiring;
• repair or replace doors and windows;
• repair heating where it is broken or provide heating where there is no heating. Grants are not available to buy new fossil fuel boilers, for example oil or gas boilers.

Special requirements for this grant

To help us to assess your application we ask that you provide a written quotation and some photographs of the area or room where you hope to carry out works.

No medical documents are needed for this grant, as it is based on the condition of your home, and how urgently the repairs are needed. However, if your application is urgent due to a medical condition, you will need to complete the Doctor’s Certificate.

Applications also need to include:

• For roof repairs: You need to include a letter from your insurance company stating repairs are not covered under your policy.
  
  
• For upgrading electrical wiring: You need to include a Periodic Inspection Report from an electrician describing the necessary repairs. This electrician must be registered with Safe Electric. Further information can found at: www.safeelectric.ie
  
  
• For central heating system: If you need to repair or provide heating, you need to include a report from a heating contractor describing the condition of the existing heating system. Grants are not available to buy new fossil fuel boilers, for example oil or gas boilers.

How much is the grant for?

It depends. The grant covers some of the cost of the work needed, but not all of it. The amount of money you get depends on your household income for the previous tax year (or the current tax year in some special cases see below *). There are some disregards and deductions that can reduce the amount of household income that your local authority takes into account. We explain this further in Important Information about Income.

The most you can get is €10,700 or 100% of the total cost of the work approved by your local authority (whichever is less). This grant can go towards the total cost of the work including the VAT.

* Special cases apply if the person who the works are for is also the owner (or their spouse) and:

• They have had a sudden and big change in income because of illness, injury or disability, and
• Their income will be reduced for a long time.

You will need to contact your local authority if you think this applies. They will tell you what proof of your household income they will need for the current tax year.

Note: A grant is not available if the household income is more than €75,000, after the disregards and deductions are applied.

If the owner (and their spouse) of the home earn €75,000 or less, after the disregards and deductions are applied, the table below shows information on how much of a grant you can get.

Example

If your household income for the previous tax year is €45,000 after the disregards and deductions are applied, your grant is 75% of the costs of the work to a maximum of €8,025. This means that if the work on the home costs €15,000 including VAT, the grant will only cover €8,025 and not €11,250.

Documentation required

Please be sure to include the following documentation in the application. We regret that we must return all incomplete applications. 

• Fully completed application form
• Evidence of household income from all sources
• A written itemised quotation will help us to process your application
• Evidence of compliance with local property tax

Apply online

Applying online will give you access to the status of your application as it goes through our approval process.