€31.8m invested since 2017 to reduce homeownership costs and enhance housing quality

The Housing Authority has released the final report in a three-part series, offering a comprehensive analysis of its schemes. This publication is part of the Authority’s ongoing efforts to provide up-to-date insights and ensure transparency in the housing sector.

This report examines schemes designed to enhance homeowners’ purchasing power and improve housing quality by supporting property refurbishment expenses, thereby making homes more comfortable, accessible and liveable. It analyses five schemes: the First-Time Buyer Scheme (FTB), the Grant on First Residence Scheme (GFR), the Subsidy on Adaptation Works Scheme (ADP), the Adaptation of Pre-95 Properties Scheme (SSP) and the Scheme for Persons with Disability (DIS). The report concludes with an overview of the Authority’s investment in lift installations.

More than 12,000 families have availed themselves of these schemes, the most popular being undeniably the First-Time Buyer Scheme. Since the introduction of this scheme in 2023, 4,909 households have benefitted from it, with 2,136 beneficiaries receiving one payment so far, while 2,773 received two payments. Excluding the FTB scheme, over 7,100 families have benefitted from this category of schemes between 2017 and 2024 – equating to more than two households assisted per day.

The Housing Authority has invested approximately €31.8m in these five schemes since 2017, with the expenditure increasing from around €2.5m in 2017 to €10.6m in 2024. This report also highlights that:

1. Beneficiaries of the FTB and GFR schemes tend to be younger than those benefitting from the ADP, DIS and SSP schemes. They also cater for various household compositions. This underscores the Authority’s support for a broad spectrum of households – from younger beneficiaries purchasing their first residence to older beneficiaries adapting their homes to meet their changing needs.
2. More than half of the FTB beneficiaries purchased their property alone, with properties purchased by joint beneficiaries tending to be more expensive than those bought by single beneficiaries, reflecting different financial capacities. Single FTB beneficiaries were more likely to purchase apartments compared to joint beneficiaries.
3. 47% of buyers purchased properties in the same locality where they had previously resided.

As part of the Authority’s commitment to enhance housing quality and making homes more accessible, this report concludes with an analysis of the Housing Authority’s investment in lift installations in government-owned properties. Between 2019 and 2024, 169 lifts were installed, benefitting 1,200 households. This equates to one lift installed every fortnight.

This report marks the final publication in this three-part series. The first report focused on those schemes aimed at assisting buyers or tenants in becoming homeowners, while the second examined the schemes designed to improve rental affordability. These reports can be accessed from the Housing Authority’s website.