Guide
Solicitor fees and outlays in Ireland: what a Costs Notice must show
Updated
Ireland has no conveyancing scale, so the protection is procedural rather than a price. Used properly, it makes quotes genuinely comparable.
The fee is not fixed, and that is official
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." And on price: "There is no fixed rate charge for legal fees. Some solicitors charge a flat fee and some charge a percentage of the purchase price of the home. You can shop around to find a solicitor who will charge the lowest possible fee" (Citizens Information). It also warns to check VAT: "You need to pay Value Added Tax on the legal fees. Check that VAT is included in the quotes you get from solicitors, so you are comparing like with like."
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" setting out clearly the basis of how legal costs will be calculated, and must update you in writing as soon as the actual charges are known. And if costs are heading materially above the notice, "he or she must inform you and provide you with a new Costs Notice."
There is a cooling-off period
Less well known, and useful: "Once you have received a Costs Notice letter from your solicitor, you have a period of time to consider it. During this time, the legal services being provided to you by your solicitor will be suspended. This is similar to a cooling off period and it 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: the cost of purchasing the home, mortgaging it, "Government taxes (stamp duty and VAT on legal fees)", "Land Registry fees", "Legal fees", "Other outlays such as search fees", and other expenses such as survey fees and repairs (Law Society of Ireland).
| 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: 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, and 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.