Guide
Solicitor fees for buying a house in Ireland: the Costs Notice
Updated
Ireland has no conveyancing scale, so the protection is procedural rather than a price. Used properly, it makes quotes genuinely comparable.
What do solicitors charge for conveyancing in Ireland?
Citizens Information is explicit: "If you're buying a home, you need a solicitor to handle the legal transfer of property ownership to you." This legal work is called conveyancing.
On price, it says "there is no fixed rate charge for legal fees". Some solicitors charge a flat fee and some a percentage of the purchase price, so you can shop around for the lowest fee (Citizens Information).
It also warns that you pay VAT on legal fees. Check that VAT is included in the quotes you get, so you are comparing like with like.
Few firms publish a number: 3 of the 15 Irish solicitors' pages in our conveyancing fee index give a fixed professional fee for a standard purchase. They are €1,450 plus VAT and outlays, €1,650 all-in and €1,700 (median €1,650, as each firm states it). The other 12 publish none, so the written Costs Notice below outweighs any advertised price.
What the Costs Notice must contain
Part 10 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, in force since 7 October 2019, requires your solicitor to give you written information about costs before doing the work. The Legal Services Regulatory Authority sets out the headings that notice must break the charges down under (LSRA):
- Legal costs to date, which could relate to time already spent working on the matter
- Fixed costs which will certainly be included in your final bill
- Likely costs the solicitor thinks will be incurred in dealing with your case
- The VAT amount to be charged
- The basis for the costs, meaning how they were or are to be calculated
If the solicitor cannot give exact figures, the LSRA says they "must still issue you with a written Costs Notice". It sets out clearly the basis for calculating legal costs, and you must be updated in writing once the actual charges are known. If costs head materially above the notice, you must be told and given a new one.
There is a cooling-off period
Less well known, and useful: once you receive a Costs Notice letter, you have a period of time to consider it. Your solicitor's legal services are suspended during that time. It is similar to a cooling off period and can last up to ten working days. That is the window in which comparing two firms costs you nothing.
Where the outlays come from
The Law Society of Ireland's guidance for buyers lists the budget headings your solicitor should cover with you (Law Society of Ireland):
- the cost of purchasing the home and of mortgaging it
- "Government taxes (stamp duty and VAT on legal fees)"
- "Land Registry fees"
- "Legal fees"
- "Other outlays such as search fees"
- other expenses such as survey fees and repairs
| Application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Registration of a transfer on sale, consideration not over €50,000 | €400 |
| Registration of a transfer on sale, over €50,000 to €200,000 | €600 |
| Registration of a transfer on sale, over €200,000 to €400,000 | €700 |
| Registration of a transfer on sale, over €400,000 | €800 |
| Registration of a charge or a judgment mortgage | €175 |
| First registration other than in Form 3 | €500 |
| Registration of a voluntary transfer | €130 |
| Inspection of a folio or an instrument | €5 |
Those are published fees, so any two firms should quote the same amounts for the same transaction (Tailte Eireann). If two quotes differ on outlays, the difference is usually the search pack, not the registry.
Your bill at the end
When the work is done the LSRA requires a Bill of Costs. It must include:
- a summary of the services
- an itemised statement of charges
- the VAT charged and the solicitor's VAT number
- time spent, where charging is time based
- an explanation in writing of how any part of the bill can be challenged
You usually have 30 days to pay it, and 21 days to write to the solicitor if you are unhappy with it.
This page summarises published rules from Citizens Information, the LSRA and the Law Society of Ireland on the updated date above. It is not legal advice on your transaction.