Grants to renovate vacant homes are set to be increased under plans the Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien will bring to Cabinet on Tuesday.
The move is aimed at addressing the rising cost of building materials and it will be funded from the existing housing budget.
Currently, property owners can qualify for a grant of €30,000 to refurbish a vacant home.
If a property is derelict, then a grant of up to €50,000 is available.
From May, the grant scheme will to be expanded to include homes which were built before 2007. At the moment it only applies to homes built before 1993.
Long-term rental properties will also be eligible for grants under the changes. At the moment, the scheme just covers homes which are owner-occupied.
Social Democrats' spokesperson on housing Cian O'Callaghan described the move as a minor enough change to eligibility and means.
Mr O'Callaghan said: "The longer vacant homes are left vacant the more likely they are going to get into bad condition, they may end up being derelict. So it's important they are turned around quickly."
He added: "You need to have an effective vacant home tax and the 0.3% the Government have is ineffective and too weak."
Mr O'Brien has also indicated that the Government is working on measures to encourage developers to build more cost-rental properties.
Interest rate rises has created financing issues around these construction projects.
"What I want to do with colleagues is explore measures to bridge that viability gap," Darragh O'Brien said.
