The role of the Vacant Homes Office is to identify vacant properties in County Laois, particularly in areas of high demand, and to facilitate their return to use as housing units. The Vacant Homes Office will work with property owners to bring vacant properties back into use for social and private housing purposes.
The main schemes available to Laois County Council for this purpose are:
Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund)
The Vacant Homes Office can be contacted at (057) 866 4000 or via e-mail at vacanthomes@laoiscoco.ie
You can also report properties that you believe to be vacant at https://vacanthomes.ie and these will be investigated by the Vacant Homes Office. You can report these properties anonymously if you wish.
Compulsory Purchase Orders
The re-use and regeneration of vacant and derelict properties in County Laois can provide essential housing, while also being a catalyst to transforming areas and the communities living in them. Derelict or vacant properties can come to the attention of the local authority either from their own engagement or by other means. Members of the public can report vacant properties on www.vacanthomes.ie or directly to the Council by e-mail to vacanthomes@laoiscoco.ie.
The Council has a key role to play in the activation of these properties, bringing them back into use. The Council will endeavour to engage with the property owners to facilitate their return to use. Compulsory acquisition is one of the measures that local authorities can use, particularly when other forms of engagement with owners of vacant and derelict properties have been unsuccessful.