Vacant Property Grant | Obtaining Proof of Vacancy

[ificandream]

Dear all,

I would be very grateful if anyone had any thoughts on how to approach the following situation. My brother is in the later stages of purchasing a property. He believes the property has been vacant (i.e. not a principle primary residence) for nearly two years or at minimum over one year. He has asked the sellers for information about for how long the property has been vacant however my brother has not received any reply's on this topic.

If the sellers won't engage on the topic is there any other way to provide suitable evidence to the council that the property has been vacant for the required time and thus potentially eligible for the vacant property grant? My brother intends to call the officer overseeing this grant in the council but wants to be ready with possible solutions if needed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ClubMan]

One common way is evidence of low electricity usage. This night be available to him if the property has a smart meter and he can access the historical usage data. I'm not sure if this is the case when a property changes hands. And this would only be after closing the purchase which probably isn't what he wants?

Smart Meter Usage | Electricity Usage Monitor | ESB Networks

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Otherwise he should ask his solicitor to request the necessary info and maybe even make it a condition of closing to get it. Of course, maybe he's mistaken and it hasn't actually been vacant for 2+ years?

 

[charlie007]

Possibly the seller thinks they may be liable for this: https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/vacant-homes-tax/index.aspx

If they were and had paid it, there seems no reason they wouldn't cooperate to speed along the sale?

Also 'not a principal primary residence' doesn't have to be vacant.

 

[Monbretia]

I would be inclined to think if they sellers are not cooperating with proving the vacancy then I'd be surprised if it had been actually vacant! I have seen this query several times on the Vacant Homes FB page and invariably if the sellers felt the house was eligible for the grant you can be sure it would be a big part of the advertising and sales guff from the auctioneer.

Ask them to provide the esb bills or a letter confirming low usage, if they don't or can't then I wouldn't bank on it being eligible.

 

[ClubMan]

invariably if the sellers felt the house was eligible for the grant you can be sure it would be a big part of the advertising and sales guff from the auctioneer.

Exactly. It's an additional selling point that the buyer might be eligible for up to €50K in grants (or €70K in the case of a derelict property) so if it's applicable here then the seller and their agent would most likely be highlighting it and eager to provide the necessary vouching info.

 

[ificandream]

Thanks for the replies. It is very possible the property is not eligible as it has not been raised as a selling point by the auctioneer. Good suggestion on the historical data from the smart meter, worth checking post sale. My brother said he will press a bit more and see what comes of it.