Dublin City Council manages the Living City Initiative (LCI) on behalf of the Revenue Commissioners.  The aim of the LCI is to incentivise owners/investors to carry out the necessary refurbishment and/or conversion works to upgrade existing accommodation or bring derelict/disused properties back into use. Examples include bringing vacant upper floors above a shop into residential/office use or carrying out refurbishment work to one’s own home. The minimum cost of works that required for qualification for the scheme is €5,000. A property in the scheme can be a house, apartment, shop or any kind of structure and can include all or part of a property.  Under Budget 2023, the Living City Initiative has been extended to 31st December 2027.

Owners and investors can claim tax relief on the costs of refurbishment and/or conversion of a residential property either as income tax relief (for owner-occupied residential) or capital allowance (for rented residential) in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny. A sample of eligible costs are:

•              Professional fees including Architects and Engineer fees
•              Building materials
•              Hire of equipment
•              Labour cost
•              Administrative overheads
•              Painting and decorating
•              Fees paid to local authorities for the provision of certain infrastructure and services.

Properties must be constructed before 1915 and lie within the Special Regeneration Area (SRA) which includes Dublin 1, 2, 7 and 8.  Please refer to the LCI Map which delineates the boundary.