Ready to Build Scheme

The Ready to Build Scheme allows you to buy a site from a local authority to build your own home on.

Local authorities can sell these sites in towns and villages at reduced prices of up to €30,000 below the market value. They can either:

• Sell sites they already own for the scheme
• Buy new sites to sell for the scheme

They make these sites available for people to build homes on by providing access and services to the sites, such as:

• Electricity
• Water
• Wastewater

The discount you get when you buy the site depends on how much it costs the local authority to provide services on the site before selling it to you. The maximum discount is €30,000.

You must live in the home as your main private residence when the home is built.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage fund this scheme through the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. You can apply to your local authority for the Ready to Build Scheme.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has information about the scheme including an FAQ.

To qualify for the Ready to Build Scheme, you must:

• Build a home on the site and live in it as your main private residence when it is built.
• Build your home on a site that is part of the scheme in a regional town or village. For this scheme, towns and villages with a population of over 400 people are considered regional towns and villages, as well as some smaller ones, which have sufficient services and amenities.
• Apply for planning permission to build your home on the site within 3 months of being approved to buy the site and paying your deposit. Ownership of the site will only be transferred to you when you get confirmation of planning permission.
• Start building your home on the site within 12 months of getting planning permission. In exceptional circumstances, your local authority may give you an extension on this.
• Agree to the grant conditions, which apply if you sell the home within a certain timeframe.
• Not have bought a site under the scheme already.
• Have tax clearance from Revenue to show that your taxes are in order.

Note: You must apply for planning permission within 3 months. If you don't, the site will go back to the local authority. If you get planning permission but don't start building within 12 months, you will have to pay back the discount you got on the site.

You can buy a site under this scheme for up to €30,000 below the market value of the site. The discount you get when you buy the site depends on how much it costs the local authority to provide services on the site before selling it to you.

When sites become available to buy as a part of the Ready to Build Scheme, they will be advertised on your local authority’s website and in relevant local publications. The advertisements will have information about the sites and the closing date for applications.

You must complete the application form (pdf) and send it to the local authority with your supporting documents. The local authority will review your application and documents and to let you know if your application has been successful.

You can contact the Vacant Homes Officer in your local authority if you have questions about the scheme.

Applications for the Ready to Build Scheme are prioritised in this way:

1. First-time buyers and ‘fresh start’ applicants
2. Applicants with particular needs who are selling or have sold their current home and want to live in a town or village. Particular needs include people with disabilities and older people.
3. Anyone else who is selling or has sold their home and wants to live in a town or village.

What is a first-time buyer?

You are a first-time buyer if:

• You have not previously bought or built a property to live in.
• You do not own or have an interest in any property in Ireland or abroad.

What is a 'fresh-start' buyer?

You are a ‘fresh start’ applicant if you previously owned a home, but you no longer have a financial interest in it because:

• You are now divorced, separated, or your relationship has ended
• You have gone through personal insolvency or bankruptcy

If your application is not successful, you can appeal the decision with the local authority.

You should write to them within 3 weeks of the decision, giving the reasons why you are appealing.

Your appeal will be reviewed by someone in the local authority who was not involved in assessing your application. The local authority will contact you with the outcome of this review. This can take up to 6 weeks.

If you decide to sell your home or rent it out within 10 years of buying the site, you will have to pay the local authority back. The amount you repay depends on how long you’ve lived there. If you live there for:

• Less than 5 years, you have to repay the full discount you got on the site
• Over 5 years but less than 10, you have to repay 75% of the discount on the site
• More than 10 years, you don’t have to pay back anything

In any situation where the home is no longer your primary residence within the first 10 years of buying the site, you must pay back some or all of the discount.