A generous grant of up to one million Czech crowns for home insulation under the “Repair the House After Grandma” program will not be available to all property owners. Only those who own a maximum of one permanently inhabited property will be eligible to apply for state funding. Property owners with multiple houses or apartments will not qualify.
Lucie Ješátková, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, confirmed, “Applicants must own only one property designated for permanent residence to qualify for a grant from the ‘Repair the House After Grandma’ program.”
Ondřej Charvát from the Ministry’s press department clarified that this restriction does not apply to individuals who own, for example, a cottage not designated for permanent residence.
The Ministry has announced that the “Repair the House After Grandma” program will be launched in September, just like the previously interrupted grants within the “New Green Savings” initiative. The exact date will be announced on Thursday.
The so-called “ownership test” to prevent wealthy individuals from accessing grants was pushed forward by the coalition of TOP 09 and STAN parties.
“From the beginning, this has been TOP 09’s main requirement. We believe that every state grant policy should always consider this parameter,” said Tomáš Tesař, Deputy Minister of the Environment for TOP 09.
“It’s a general principle. The state must think more about who is receiving the money. Not only in social transfers but also in investment grants. The question of ownership tests is fundamental for us,” added Lukáš Vlček, First Deputy Chairman of STAN.
Vlček emphasized that if the “Repair the House After Grandma” program were to apply to recreational properties, it should be clear that a cottage or cabin is the only possible residence. This would prevent individuals from receiving a grant for renovating a recreational property while owning three investment apartments, for instance.
Representatives from the Ministry and the State Environmental Fund, which manages the grant, did not have answers to Právo’s questions about how the ownership of a single property would be declared and monitored to prevent, for example, the transfer of one property to a spouse or children within the household. Further information will be provided on Thursday.
Stringent Criteria: Applicants must also commit to remaining the property owner and residing there for the next ten years. Economic activity is also a prerequisite. This means that employees, working students, or working seniors can also access the support.
Upfront Payment: The “Repair the House After Grandma” program will disburse funds upfront before implementing energy-saving measures. This will enable support for households that have not saved up funds. People can apply for backing up to half of the eligible costs. It is possible to renovate or demolish the house and build a new one with low energy consumption.
Under one application, support can also be requested for additional measures, such as photovoltaics or a heat pump. The total amount can, therefore, exceed one million crowns. These are the same grants as those available under the traditional “New Green Savings” program.