SUMMARY
Grant / Support Name: Ready To Build Scheme
Provider: Irish Government via local authorities nationwide
Value: Up to €30,000
Overview: Under the Ready to Build Scheme, people can buy land from local authorities to build their own homes. These sites are located in towns and villages and are offered at prices up to €30,000 below market value. Local authorities can sell land they already own or buy new plots for the scheme. They ensure these sites are suitable for home construction by providing necessary access and services such as electricity, water, and wastewater facilities.
Eligibility:
Eligibility for the Ready to Build Scheme is wide ranging but applications are prioritised as follows:
- First-time buyers and ‘fresh start’ applicants
- 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.
- Anyone else who is selling or has sold their home and wants to live in a town or village.
Special Conditions:
To qualify for the Ready to Build Scheme, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must 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.
- You must build a home on the site and live in it as your principal private residence for at least 10 years.
- You must start building your home on the site within 12 months of getting planning permission.
- You must agree to the clawback conditions, which apply if you sell the home within 10 years.
- You must not have already bought a site under the scheme.
Tax Implications: You must have tax clearance from Revenue to show that your tax affairs are in order.
ARTICLE
The Ready to Build Scheme is designed to let people buy land at a discount from local authorities, making it more affordable for them to build their own homes. The sites are located in regional towns and villages, so the scheme also helps revitalise local communities and promote balanced regional development.
Every site comes complete with essential services like electricity, water, and wastewater systems. This means that the site is ‘ready to build’ - but it is up to you to apply for planning permission within three months of being approved and paying your deposit. Once you get planning permission you then need to start the build within 12 months as otherwise you will have to repay the discount you receive.
Local authorities manage the scheme by selling land they already own or by buying new ones helping to ensure that available land is used efficiently for residential purposes. This helps to accelerate the development of new homes and increase the overall housing supply, having a positive impact on the ongoing housing shortage in many parts of the country.
The discount on each plot depends on the cost to the local authority, with a maximum discount of €30,000. There are a number of qualifying criteria including the fact that you must agree to live in the new home as your main residence for at least 10 years or you will have to pay back up to 75% of the discount you received on the site. This applies whether you sell your home or rent it out.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Although priority will be given to first-time buyers and ‘fresh start’ applicants, your application will also be considered if you are selling or have already sold your home because you now want to live in a town or village. In this instance, you will be considered sooner if you are an older person or a person with a disability.
You are a first-time buyer if you have never bought or built a home to live in and you do not own any property in Ireland or abroad. You are a ‘fresh start’ applicant if you used to own a home but no longer have any financial interest in it because you are now divorced, separated, or your relationship has ended, or you have gone through personal insolvency or bankruptcy.
A regional town or village is defined as a town or village with a population of over 400 people, although some smaller ones will qualify if they have sufficient services and amenities.
HOW TO APPLY
When sites become available to buy under the scheme, they will be advertised on your local authority’s website and in other relevant local publications. You can then apply directly to the local authority.
The ‘Ready to Build’ scheme is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage through the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund and managed by local authorities.
More information
You can get more information and apply through your local authority and find details and FAQs on the Department's website.
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