Track your way through the scheme
Four phases, each about eight steps. Open any step for what it involves, what you need and what to watch for. Tick things off as you go — the page remembers, one phase at a time.
Prefer one step at a time? Switch to the guided walkthrough
The four phases
Phase 1 Preparing your application 7 steps · From the first crack to the decision letter
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The scheme is open to homeowners in Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Limerick and Sligo. You must live in the home, or own one RTB-registered rental property that was registered by 1 November 2021. You do not need anything in hand to start reading.
Documents needed
Tips
- Take clear photos and log when you first noticed the damage
- Save every file in one dedicated folder
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Record what you can see — stepped cracking, dampness, doors and windows that have started to stick. You are not diagnosing anything at this stage, only building a record. Damage usually worsens over winter, so a log over time is far more persuasive than a single photograph.
Documents needed
Tips
- Let your phone stamp the date — do not rely on memory
- Repeat the same angles every few months
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Arrange a Building Condition Assessment with a registered engineer, architect, surveyor or building surveyor. This is the document the whole application rests on, so ask what the report will and will not cover before you engage anyone.
Documents needed
Tips
- Ask other homeowners locally who they used
- Keep copies of every report and invoice
- Get the fee in writing before work starts
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Upload the BCA and your supporting documents through the Donegal DCB portal. Two of the required certificates come from Revenue and catch people out — both are obtained through Revenue MyAccount and both can take a few days to issue.
Documents needed
Tips
- Screenshot every submission and confirmation email
- Request the Revenue certificates a fortnight early
- Save the reference number somewhere you will find it again
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The council verifies your documents and forwards the application to the Housing Agency. This stage can be slow and quiet. Silence is normal; it does not mean anything has gone wrong.
Documents needed
Tips
- Keep copies of every communication in both directions
- Note the date and name for any phone call, then confirm it by email
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The Housing Agency decides whether your home meets the damage threshold and which remediation option applies — full demolition and rebuild, rebuilding the external walls, or re-rendering the affected walls. The option sets the grant, so this is the point to go through the figures with your engineer line by line.
Documents needed
Tips
- Ask your professional to explain the options and the grant amounts
- Work out the shortfall before you accept anything
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Accept the remediation recommendation, or appeal it using the Schedule 15 Notice of Appeal — the standard form for challenging a scheme decision. There is a fixed window, so do not wait to see whether things improve.
Documents needed
Tips
- Make copies of everything you submit
- Send it by recorded post and keep the receipt
- Diary the deadline the day the decision arrives
Phase 2 Preparing for the build 8 steps · Plans, professionals and costings
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Accept the remediation option and the grant. Planning and preparatory work can begin now — but do not start any building work yet.
Documents needed
Tips
- Keep screenshots and emails
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Prepare plans, quotes and energy checks. Wait for the portal to prompt you before commencing works.
Documents needed
Tips
- Organise every document in one folder
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Confirm the registered architect, engineer or surveyor who will prepare your remedial works plan.
Documents needed
Tips
- Check their experience with defective concrete blocks specifically
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Your professional prepares the plan setting out the scope and sequence of the work.
Documents needed
Tips
- Keep copies for reference and for tracking costs later
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Confirm whether planning permission is required for your home.
Documents needed
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An energy assessment may be required for building control compliance.
Documents needed
Tips
- Only schedule the assessment when you are instructed to
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Collect contractor quotes and review the costs and the timeline together.
Documents needed
Tips
- Keep copies for submission and for comparison
Phase 3 Rebuilding your home 7 steps · Notices, approvals and the works
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Submit the remedial works plan and supporting documents through the portal.
Documents needed
Tips
- Keep screenshots of every portal submission
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Submit notices to the DCB Scheme (7–14 days before you start) and to Building Control (14–28 days before).
Documents needed
Tips
- Diary both windows the moment you have a start date
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Works must be completed within 130 weeks — about two and a half years. The final grant claim must be submitted within 65 weeks of the works starting.
Tips
- Track both deadlines with a calendar or portal reminders
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Receive formal grant approval and confirm your start date.
Documents needed
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The council may come back with a request for further information or clarification.
Tips
- Respond promptly and keep copies of all correspondence
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Keep every invoice, receipt and photograph, and log anything the builders find on site.
Tips
- Photograph the work at each stage, not just at the end
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Submit stage payment claims as the works reach each agreed milestone, with the invoices and evidence that support them.
Documents needed
Tips
- Claim as each stage completes rather than saving them all up
Phase 4 Final steps 3 steps · Inspection, final claim, sign-off
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Attend the inspections and note any corrections that are required before you can claim.
Tips
- Ask for anything raised on site to be confirmed in writing
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Submit the final grant claim with the full set of invoices, certificates and completion evidence. This must be within 65 weeks of the works starting.
Documents needed
Tips
- Check the 65-week deadline before you begin assembling the claim
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Check the portal for completion, and keep every record safely. You may need them again.
Tips
- Keep the whole folder — do not throw anything out once it is signed off
If this is feeling like too much
Plenty of people close the folder for a fortnight and come back to it. Your ticks will still be here. If the weight of it is getting heavier rather than lighter, there is emotional and mental-health support here, and the helplines are free.