Would need to make sure that the developers can't just use the grant as a way to increase the price of the house, knowing that the buyers will be getting X back, they load X onto the price.
Thinking about it more ... So I think the rebate would need to go to the developer, who then has to bring the asking price of the property down by X. The developer should be able to offset the price of specific, verifiable, high-spec BER qualifying features against VAT or council levies etc
At the moment there is a grant scheme for improving the BER on your existing home.
Should there be some scheme for moving to a new home that has a higher BER than your existing one?
If the problem is that developers cannot make a profit because of the cost of building, then surely a grant which would allow them to charge more for completed houses will encourage building?
If higher spec new homes aren't being built because people can't afford them \ developers don't think they can make a profit on them, or we end up building lower spec houses (e.g. building seems to be drifting to where councils have lower standards e.g. away from Dublin DLR despite land being available) then the grant would help with that.
A grant like that would only serve to increase the price and line developers pockets, much like previous indirect attempts to make property more affordable. Remember the overnight queues outside housing developments?
If high-spec isn't affordable, look at why that's the case and address some of those causes directly. Why for example does it cost more to build a house here than one of a higher standard in Germany?
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