Vacant homes

If you are aware of a vacant homes in your area please contact us and we will try to contact the owner to see if is possible to bring this house back into use.

The Vacant Homes website allows you to anonymously log possible vacant properties. Local authorities can then follow up.

Do you own a vacant home?

Clare County Council are seeking to acquire suitable properties throughout Clare to provide housing and achieve our targets under the Social Housing Strategy through buying and leasing properties.

Benefits

• Families with a housing need. 
• Creation of these new homes will protect services and help stimulate the local economy.
• Help combat homelessness

Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (Towns) Fund Scheme

A grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 will be available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential. This may be increased by a further €20,000 if the property is deemed to be Derelict i.e. structurally unsound and dangerous.

View the grant details

Our Living Islands Policy

The Grant Scheme under Our Living Islands policy does not apply to County Clare.  A list of the qualifying islands where this additional funding is available can be accessed using the following link - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/31da3-populated-off-shore-islands/.

The Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Farmhouses

The Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage is running a pilot scheme to provide grants for expert conservation advice to owners of vacant farmhouses in private ownership who are availing of and/or considering the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. 

More information about this grant is available on gov.ie.

View the grant details

Bringing Back Homes - Manual for the reuse of existing buildings

As part of the government's objective of addressing vacancy and maximising the use of the existing building stock in the country, they have prepared this guidance document, Bringing Back Homes - Manual for the reuse of existing buildings. The manual was first published in 2018 and has been updated in April 2024.

The manual aims to provide advice to property owners, members of the public, local authorities and those involved in the construction industry with guidance on how to facilitate the reuse of buildings and how the current regulatory requirements apply to common and existing build types. The manual is intended to be a reference guide only and is not a substitute for compliance with legal obligations set out in various regulations and legislation.

Topics covered in the manual include planning requirements, conservation, building regulations, building control fire services, energy, performance of buildings and physical infrastructure.

More information is available using the following link Bringing Back Homes - Manual for the reuse of Existing Buildings