New funding has been approved to renovate empty council houses in Tipperary

New funding has been approved to renovate empty council houses in Tipperary.

Local authorities now must meet targets to receive Voids Programme funding.

Tipperary County Council will receive €1.4 million. This is part of a €40 million national package announced by Housing Minister James Browne.

This investment will transform around 2,200 council homes nationwide, turning empty spaces into welcoming homes.

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The Minister now links Voids Programme funding to local authorities' results.

The programme will reduce empty homes and speed up making them ready to move in.

By 2027, Tipperary County Council and others are expected to keep vacancy rates below 2 per cent and prepare homes for new residents in just 18 weeks or less.

The targets will become stricter over the next few years: in 2028, the goal is 15 weeks and in 2029, 12 weeks. Local authorities that reach these deadlines will receive full funding under the new system. Since the Voids Programme started in 2014, €385 million has been spent to bring 27,860 homes back into use.

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