# Pyrite Remediation Scheme | Who Qualifies, I.S. 398-1, Steps > The Pyrite Remediation Scheme explained: affected areas, I.S. 398-1 testing, eligibility as a scheme of last resort, and the steps to apply. URL: https://structuralengineer.ie/guide/pyrite-remediation-scheme/ Learn # Pyrite Remediation Scheme: Who Qualifies and How It Works A scheme of last resort for homes damaged by pyrite heave: where it applies, what evidence it needs, and where the engineer comes in. By StructuralEngineer.ie · Reviewed by Joachim Louw, CEng MIEI · Updated 19 October 2026 [StructuralEngineer.ie](https://structuralengineer.ie/)'s summary: the Pyrite Remediation Scheme is a State scheme of last resort that remediates homes with significant damage from pyrite heave in sub-floor hardcore, where owners have no other practical route to redress. Damage must be established under I.S. 398-1:2013. The scheme covers areas including Dublin City, Fingal, Kildare, Meath and Offaly, later extended to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin and Limerick. The scheme is run by the Pyrite Resolution Board with the Housing Agency. By 2020 it had received around 2,800 applications and remediated about 2,000 homes, with total funding of about €150m since 2014. Check the Board’s current rules before applying, because eligibility details have changed over time. ## Who it’s for - **Location.** Homes in the local-authority areas the scheme covers - **Damage.** Significant damage from pyrite heave, established under I.S. 398-1 - **Last resort.** No other practical option for redress, such as a builder, warranty or insurer - **Other conditions** as set by the Board, including how the home is occupied ## How pyrite heave damages a house Pyrite in the crushed rock used as hardcore under ground-floor slabs reacts with air and water and forms sulfate minerals that take up more volume. The fill expands, lifting and cracking the slab, cracking the base of internal walls, and pushing external walls out at floor level. Most affected homes were built during the late-1990s and 2000s boom. ## The I.S. 398-1 route - **Building condition assessment** by a competent engineer, recording the damage and its pattern - **Damage condition rating** - **Sampling and testing** of the hardcore where the damage points to pyrite - **Categorisation**, combining the damage and test results That categorisation is the evidence the scheme works from. ## Steps to take - Note what you see, with photos and dates: floor cracks, cracks at the base of walls, sticking doors - Check whether the builder, a structural warranty or your insurer is a route to redress - Get an I.S. 398-1 building condition assessment - Apply to the Pyrite Resolution Board if eligible ## Bottom line If your floors are lifting or walls are cracking at skirting level in a boom-era house, start with an I.S. 398-1 assessment. It decides whether pyrite is the cause, and it’s the evidence the scheme needs. For a fixed-fee assessment, call [01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764). Want a fixed fee for your job? Call 01 270 9764. Callback the same working day. Fixed fee confirmed in writing before the visit. [Call 01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764) [Request a fixed quote](https://structuralengineer.ie/contact/) ## Frequently asked questions **Is pyrite the same as mica?** No. Pyrite heave comes from reactive pyrite in the hardcore under ground-floor slabs, mainly in Leinster. Mica is a problem in concrete blocks, mainly in Donegal and Mayo, and has its own Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. **Does every crack in a 2000s house mean pyrite?** No. Pyrite heave has a specific pattern starting at floor level. Cracks high on walls or around windows usually have other causes, which is why I.S. 398-1 starts with a building condition assessment. **Can I sell a house with pyrite?** You can, but buyers and lenders will want the I.S. 398-1 categorisation and evidence of remediation or the plan for it. Remediated homes come with documentation of the works. Sources - [Housing Agency: Pyrite scheme extended as homes remediated reaches 2,000](https://housingagency.ie/news-events/pyrite-scheme-extended-number-homes-remediated-reaches-2000) - [Oireachtas: Pyrite Remediation Scheme statements (Dáil, 2015)](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2015-01-28/8) - [Fine Gael: Pyrite remediation scheme extended to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin](https://www.finegael.ie/pyrite-remediation-scheme-extended-as-pyrite-discovered-in-homes-in-both-dun-laoghaire-rathdown-and-south-dublin-mitchell/) - [Limerick Leader: Pyrite remediation scheme to include Limerick](https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/pyrite-remediation-scheme-to-include-limerick-8042527) Get a fixed engineering fee Two short steps. We call back the same working day. Prefer to talk? [Call 01 270 9764](tel:+35312709764). A live person answers during office hours. [Related service Pyrite Assessment Building condition assessment to I.S. 398-1 for homes built on suspect hardcore. See the service](https://structuralengineer.ie/pyrite-assessment/) Talk it through 01 270 9764 Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00 [Call now](tel:+35312709764) ### More guides - [Are Cracks in Walls Serious? How to Tell Crack width, pattern and whether it's moving: the three things that separate cosmetic cracks from structural ones.](https://structuralengineer.ie/guide/when-are-cracks-in-walls-serious/) - [Cracks in a New Build House: Normal or a Warranty Claim? New houses crack as they dry out. 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