Government allocates €40m to accelerate return of vacant social homes
Funding increase tied to new performance targets aimed at reducing vacancy and turnaround times
10 March 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
The Government has announced a €40 million allocation to local authorities for 2026 to bring approximately 2,200 vacant social homes back into use, as part of efforts to reduce vacancy levels across the social housing stock.
The funding, confirmed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD, represents a €9 million increase on last year’s allocation, a rise of almost 30%.
The investment forms part of the Government’s ongoing programme to address vacancy and dereliction within the public housing system by ensuring that empty local authority properties are repaired and re-let more quickly.
Alongside the funding announcement, the Minister also introduced a revised funding model for the national Voids Programme. Under the new approach, future allocations will be linked to the performance of local authorities in reducing vacancy rates and improving turnaround times between tenancies.
By 2027, local authorities will be expected to achieve a vacancy rate target of 2% and maintain a maximum average turnaround time of 18 weeks. Further reductions are planned under the programme, with turnaround targets set to fall to 15 weeks by 2028 and 12 weeks by 2029. Authorities that meet these targets will be eligible to receive full funding under the revised model.
Announcing the measures, Minister Browne said the changes are designed to ensure that social housing stock is used more efficiently during the current housing shortage.
“This new model for the Voids Programme is ultimately about delivering social homes to families and individuals more quickly,” he said.
“Too many social homes have remained vacant for too long, particularly when we are in a housing crisis. The new vacancy and turnaround time targets will mean that properties spend less time empty and more time providing security and stability for people who need them most.”
The Minister said linking funding to performance would support local authorities while also encouraging faster delivery.
“By linking funding to turnaround performance, we are ensuring that every local authority is supported and incentivised to return homes to use as swiftly as possible.
“Backed by a €40 million allocation for 2026—an increase of 29%—this approach will help prepare around 2,200 homes for re-letting. That investment will make a tangible difference to people and their families across the country, ensuring that properties are not left idle but are brought back into use with speed.”
Local authorities have increasingly shifted towards a planned maintenance model for social housing in recent years. This approach allows for preventative repairs and upgrades to take place while homes remain occupied, reducing the level of refurbishment required once a tenancy ends and enabling faster re-letting.
Under this model, the share of funding allocated to planned maintenance is expected to increase over time, while reliance on void refurbishment funding will gradually decline.
Since the Voids Programme began in 2014, the Government has invested €385 million in returning vacant local authority properties to use, supporting the refurbishment and re-letting of 27,860 homes nationwide.
