Adaptation Grants for Privately Owned Homes

The grant covers some of the cost of the work required, however, the amount of the grant depends on your household income for the previous year. The maximum grants available are as follows:

The income limits differ depending on which grant you are applying for. If your household income from the previous tax year exceeds the below amounts after the applicable disregards and deductions are applied, you will not be considered eligible to receive a grant – unless there are exceptional circumstances, please speak with a member of the Private Grants section if you feel that this is the case:

Annual gross income from the previous tax year is used in assessing the household income in an application. Income from the home owner, the applicant and their spouse will be considered. If your home is one of the following, the local authority will only consider the income earned by the tenant (and their spouse if it applies), and not the owner: (i) Rented from a landlord (please provide RTB agreement) (ii) Accommodation provided by an Approved Housing Body (iii) A communal residence (i.e group homes).

3. The following payments from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection are not considered in assessing your household income:

·       Carer’s Allowance/Benefit

·       Carer’s Support Grant

·       Child Benefit

·       Domiciliary Care Allowance

·       Foster Care Grant

·       Fuel Allowance

·       Household Benefits Package

·       Living Alone Allowance

·       Working Family Payment

There are also types of deductions that reduce the amount of household income considered:

·       A deduction of €6,250 applies for each member of the household who is under 18 years of age or under 23 years of age and in full time education or engaged in a SOLAS apprenticeship;

·       A deduction of €6,250 applies where the person for whom the grant aid is sought is being cared for by a relative on a full-time basis if a relative is caring full-time for the person who the grant is for.

·       A deduction of up to €6,250 applies for housing costs such as rent or mortgage repayments for the home where the work will be done.

·       A deduction of up to €12,500 applies if the owner is paying the residential care fees of (i) a spouse or (ii) other owner of the home.

·       A deduction of up to €12,500 (or up to €6,250 if deduction 2 is claimed) where the owner is paying for homecare fees for: (i) their own care (ii) a spouse or (iii) another person living in the home.

A checklist for the documents to be sent in with your application is available on Page 20 of the Application Form.

Note: Your application will be delayed if the Application Form is not fully completed or documents are missing.

Note: Please do not send original documents as they will not be returned to you. Upon receipt and filing of application, all documents will be shredded.

See below for an example of the works covered by each of the grants:

The Council will endeavour to decide on each application as soon as possible and will make every effort to issue a provisional approval of a grant within six weeks following receipt of a fully completed and valid application.

Delays in issuing provisional approval can occur due to incomplete applications, incorrect or insufficient documentation being submitted or if major works are being carried out which require evidence of planning permission or a certificate of exemption under the Planning Acts.

Please note that applications which are missing key information will be returned.

The grant does not cover the VAT cost of the work, in the case of the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and Disabled People and the Mobility Aids Grant. VAT can be reclaimed from Revenue after the work has been paid for. We do not process VAT refunds as a Local Authority. This is done through Revenue. However, we will supply applicants with a VAT return form upon approval of their application.

Please see https://www.revenue.ie/en/vat/accounting-for-vat/how-to-account-for-value-added-tax/how-do-you-complete-a-vat3-return.aspx  or Citizens Information for more information.

However, the VAT cost of the work is covered under the Housing Aid for Older People Grant. Applicants availing of this grant scheme will not be issued a VAT return form.

If the grant application is for the sum of €10,000 or over, you will be required to provide evidence of tax clearance from Revenue. Information on how to apply for tax clearance can be found at https://www.revenue.ie/en/starting-a-business/tax-clearance/index.aspx.

If you are unhappy with the decision of the Council, you can appeal the decision in writing within three weeks of the date of the original decision, clearly outlining the reasons and grounds for appeal.  Appeals should be sent to the following address and will be assessed by an official who was not involved with the original assessment:

Private Grants Section - Housing Department

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

County Hall

Marine Road

Dún Laoghaire

Co. Dublin

Every effort will be made to notify you of the decision on your appeal within six weeks of receipt of the appeal.

Yes. You are welcome to apply for heating upgrades that do not include new gas or oil boilers. You may still apply to fix a fossil fuel boiler, e.g apply for a part to mend the boiler, or apply for a second hand gas or oil boiler to be installed by a registered contractor. Please contact the Private Grants Section on 01 205 4700 if you are unsure if the work you are applying for is covered under the new scheme.

Under new guidelines passed on from the Department of Housing following an EU Directive, new fossil fuel boilers (oil and gas) can no longer be approved or processed after 1st January 2025.

“From 1 January 2025, Member States shall not provide any financial incentives for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossil fuels, with the exception of those selected for investment, before 2025, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/241, Article 7(1), point (h)(i), third indent, of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 and with Article 73 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council.”