Minister Darragh O'Brien on a visit to Tipperary earlier this year, where he officially opened the new Tipperary County Council housing estate in Portroe in the presence of Michael Lowry, TD; Alan Kelly, TD; Jackie Cahill, TD and Cllr Ger Darcy, then Cathlaoirleach of Tipperary County Council. Photo: Bridget Delaney

Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan goes live in County Tipperary

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, the Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning Alan Dillon TD, and the Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD have announced that the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan is now open for applications in county Tipperary.

The Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan was approved by Government at the beginning of June. The loan, which is an expansion of the Local Authority Home Loan, will support both the purchase and renovation of homes which are eligible under the existing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant has been incredibly popular to date in Tipperary with 441 applications received under the scheme so far and 328 approved. Now, with the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan, a first time buyer who wishes to turn a vacant or derelict property into a new home can receive a loan to fund both purchase and renovation works.

This reinforces the Government’s commitment to bring homes back into use, a key objective of Housing for All, while also providing another funding pathway for individuals to realise their goal of homeownership.

Commenting Minister O’Brien said, “Under Housing for All we have placed a special emphasis on tackling vacancy and dereliction all across our country. This new purchase and renovation loan is simply another tool in our armoury and offers another option for home buyers. We will continue doing everything we can to rejuvenate and regenerate our villages, towns and cities, making them even better places for people to call home,” he concluded.

Minister Dillon added, “Our local authorities are working side by side with Government in getting to grips with our housing challenges. This new loan, which will be available from all Local Authorities nationwide, will make it easier for people to purchase and renovate vacant and derelict properties and breathe new life into them. I want to thank all of our Local Authorities for their continued support in implementing new initiatives such as this one,” he concluded.

Minister Noonan concluded, “We’ve always maintained that the most sustainable home is the one which already exists and refurbishing vacant and derelict homes is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for our communities. This Government wants to help people to turn vacant buildings into lifelong homes and the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan is another way in which we are doing just that,” he concluded.

Apply for the loan at https://purchaseandrenovationloan.ie/