Pyrite Scheme Expanded To Include Homes With Early Signs Of Damage
Up to 200 additional households eligible as final application deadline set for November 2026
11 February 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
The Pyrite Remediation Scheme is to be widened to include an estimated 200 additional homes showing early signs of pyrite-related damage.
Housing Minister James Browne confirmed that homes with a Damage Condition Rating of 1, where progression of damage is evident, will now qualify for support. Previously, eligibility was limited to properties assessed with a Category D Damage Condition Rating of 2, indicating significant structural damage caused by pyrite in infill material beneath ground floor slabs.
The expansion comes as the scheme enters what Government has described as its final phase. Homeowners have until Monday 30 November 2026 to submit applications.
The scheme, established in 2014, has completed remediation works on 2,851 homes at a total cost of approximately €196 million by the end of 2024. Affected properties are located across nine local authority areas, with the majority in Fingal County Council’s administrative area.
The Pyrite Resolution Board (PRB) administers the scheme, including the application and appeals process, while the Housing Agency oversees remediation works on approved homes.
Under the revised criteria, each new application will be assessed against strict qualification standards. In addition to the existing eight-stage remediation process, an extra assessment step will apply. A scheme engineer will revisit eligible homes within a defined period to determine whether damage progression has occurred, as assessed by the PRB.
Applications to the scheme have declined in recent years. The PRB reports it is currently receiving an average of two applications per week, equivalent to around 100 per year. On that basis, the Board has recommended a planned and controlled wind-down of the scheme, with a focus on concluding outstanding cases.
Homeowners seeking to apply must engage an appropriate professional, typically a chartered engineer, to carry out a building condition assessment in line with the Irish national standard for assessing pyritic heave. Applications are submitted online to the PRB.
The Department has emphasised that the Pyrite Remediation Scheme is separate from the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which commenced in June 2023 and applies to homes in Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo affected by defective concrete blocks.
Eligible homeowners are being urged to submit applications before the November deadline to ensure their homes can be assessed under the expanded criteria.
