How much does a solicitor cost to buy a house in Ireland?
Last checked
Short answer
At Jacob Law LLP the total fixed cost of buying a home is €3,000 for a property up to €400,000 and €3,100 up to €1,000,000. Above €1,000,000 the firm quotes each purchase individually, so please get in touch. Each total includes the professional fee, VAT, outlays and Land Registry fees. Stamp duty is a separate government tax. No professional fee is charged if the purchase does not go ahead.
Fixed fee
—
Enter a value to see the fee.
Stamp duty
—
A government tax, on top of the fee.
No hidden costs or fees. What you see is what you pay.
The fixed fee covers the professional fee, VAT, outlays and the registration fees. Stamp duty is a separate government tax.
The fixed fee by property price
| Property price | Professional fee | Total fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €400,000 | €1,450 | €3,000 |
| €400,001 to €1,000,000 | €1,450 | €3,100 |
| Over €1,000,000 | Contact us | Contact us |
The same table applies to second-hand and new-build homes. The total is what you pay: professional fee, VAT at 23%, outlays and Land Registry fees together. On a new build an additional €75 can apply, for creating the new folio. The total does not include stamp duty, which is a tax paid to Revenue rather than a solicitor’s charge.
Above €1,000,000 the table does not apply and the firm prepares a tailored quote for the purchase.
What the total is made up of
Taking a €450,000 second-hand purchase as the example:
- Professional fee: €1,450
- VAT at 23%: €333.50
- Outlays: €341.50 (searches, commissioner and swearing fee, postage and miscellaneous outlays, returning the deeds to your lender)
- Registration fees: €975 (registering you as owner with the Property Registration Authority, and registering the new mortgage)
- Total fixed fee: €3,100
The registration fees are set by the Property Registration Authority and rise with the property value, which is why the total steps up above €400,000 while the professional fee stays the same.
What can be extra
- New-build properties: an additional €75 may apply, for creating the new folio.
- Cash purchases: the anti-money-laundering rules require the source of funds to be established and documented before completion. The fee for that extended check is €200 plus VAT.
- Properties over €1,000,000: quoted individually.
If you do not go ahead
No professional fee is charged if you decide not to proceed with the purchase. Work done up to that point will not be billed at all.
Other costs of buying that are not solicitor’s fees
Stamp duty (1% of the price up to €1,000,000), the survey, mortgage protection and buildings insurance, and the deposit itself. The purchase guides list them step by step.
To find out more: how stamp duty works, why a pre-purchase survey matters, life cover and mortgage protection, and the steps to buying a house in Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in the fixed fee?
The professional fee, VAT at 23%, the outlays (searches, commissioner's fee, postage, returning the deeds to your lender) and the Land Registry fees for registering you as owner and registering the mortgage. On a purchase up to €400,000 that is €1,450 professional fee plus VAT, outlays and registration, €3,000 in total.
When are the fees paid?
For a second-hand property, at the end of the purchase. For a new build, half of the professional fee including VAT is paid on signing the contracts and the balance near completion.
Is stamp duty included?
No. Stamp duty is a government tax payable separately to solicitors' fees. It is 1% of the price up to €1,000,000, so €4,500 on a €450,000 second-hand home. The calculator above works out both the fee and the stamp duty for any price.