Property Guides

BER Ratings Explained (Ireland)

What a Building Energy Rating means, the new A0–G simplified scale (from 24 May 2026), and how it affects your energy bills and mortgage options.

Broadband When Moving Home in Ireland

Before you buy or rent in Ireland, check broadband at the address. What to check, how to use the NBI and eir checkers, and the connection types to expect.

Buildings Insurance in Ireland: Rebuild Cost

What buildings insurance covers in Ireland, what's excluded, how to calculate your rebuild cost, and why your mortgage lender requires it.

Buy-to-Let in Ireland: Mortgages and Tax

What you need to know about buy-to-let investment in Ireland: mortgage rules, deposit requirements, rental yields, income tax, CGT, and landlord duties.

Buying Property Through a Pension in Ireland

You can hold an investment property inside a self-administered pension, with rent and growth tax-free in the scheme. The rules are strict: no personal use.

Buying a Property at Auction in Ireland

At auction the sale is binding when the hammer falls: deposit and contract on the day, no cooling-off. Get finance, survey and legal checks done first.

Buying an Apartment in Ireland: OMC and Charges

What's different about buying an apartment in Ireland: the Owners' Management Company, service charges, sinking fund, 999-year lease, and MUD Act queries.

Capital Gains Tax on Property in Ireland

Selling property at a profit in Ireland can trigger 33% Capital Gains Tax; your main home is usually exempt. How the gain, deductions and dates work.

Contents Insurance in Ireland

Contents insurance covers your possessions, furniture, electronics, valuables and clothes, whether you own or rent. How to choose the right level of cover.

Downsizing Your Home in Ireland

Selling the family home for something smaller? The profit is usually tax-free as your main home is CGT-exempt. The costs, tax position, and timing.

Ending a Tenancy in Ireland: Notice and Deposits

How to end a tenancy in Ireland correctly: notice periods for tenants and landlords, getting your deposit back, and what to do in a dispute.

Fair Deal Scheme and the Family Home

How the Fair Deal nursing-home scheme treats your family home: a 3-year cap limits your home-based contribution to 22.5% of its value. How it's assessed.

First Home Scheme in Ireland (2026)

How the First Home Scheme shared-equity programme works for first-time buyers in Ireland: eligibility, income limits, equity stakes, and Help to Buy.

Getting a Mortgage in Ireland (2026)

Central Bank mortgage rules, how much you can borrow, the approval process, and what lenders look for.

Gifted Deposits and Gift Tax in Ireland

Getting deposit help from family? How a gifted deposit works for an Irish mortgage, the gift letter lenders need, and when gift tax (CAT) applies.

Green Mortgages in Ireland

Green mortgages give a lower rate if your home has a strong BER, typically B or above. How they work, which lenders offer them, and whether one suits you.

Help to Buy Scheme (Ireland 2026)

How the Help to Buy tax refund works for first-time buyers of new builds, including eligibility, limits, and how to apply.

Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in Ireland

Beyond the deposit: solicitor fees, survey, valuation, stamp duty, and every other cost to budget for when buying a home in Ireland.

Home Insurance in Ireland: Buildings and Contents

What home insurance covers, the difference between buildings and contents insurance, how much to insure for, and typical costs for Irish homeowners.

How Property Bidding Works in Ireland

How bidding actually works for Irish residential property: the three sale methods, what an estate agent must legally do with your bid, and online bidding.

Inheriting a Property in Ireland: Probate and Tax

Inheriting a house in Ireland usually means probate, then inheritance tax (CAT). A child can inherit up to €400,000 tax-free, plus the dwelling house exemption.

Local Property Tax (LPT) in Ireland: 2026 to 2030

How Ireland's Local Property Tax works for the 2026 to 2030 cycle: valuation bands, the 0.0906% base rate, local adjustment, who pays, and payment dates.

Making an Offer on a Property in Ireland

How making an offer works in Ireland, from registering interest to a binding contract: what's binding, what isn't, and how to protect yourself.

Mortgage Protection Insurance in Ireland

What mortgage protection insurance is, when it's legally required in Ireland, how much it costs, and how to compare single and joint life cover.

Mortgage Rates Explained (Ireland)

What a mortgage rate is, the difference between fixed, variable and tracker, how an ECB move changes your repayment, and how to compare and switch.

New Builds vs Second-Hand Homes in Ireland

Comparing new-build and second-hand homes in Ireland: BER ratings, Help to Buy eligibility, snag lists, Part V, and which suits different buyers.

Planning Permission Basics in Ireland

When you need planning permission in Ireland and when you don't: the 40 m² extension exemption, attic conversions, the 8-week process, fees, and Section 5.

Property Surveys in Ireland: Types and Costs

Types of property survey in Ireland, when you need each, what they cover, and typical costs, including structural surveys and new-build snag lists.

Rent Increases in Ireland: Rules and Limits

How rent increases work in Ireland from March 2026: the national rent control system, the 2% cap, notice requirements, and how to dispute an illegal rise.

Rent vs Buy in Ireland: Could You Buy?

Paying high rent and wondering if you could buy? How to compare the two in Ireland: the deposit and borrowing you'd need, and the real costs on each side.

Rent-a-Room Relief in Ireland: €14,000 Tax-Free

Earn up to €14,000 a year tax-free by renting a room in your own home. How Rent-a-Room Relief works in Ireland, who qualifies, and the catches.

Sale Agreed Process in Ireland: What Happens Next

What happens between sale agreed and getting the keys: booking deposit, solicitor, conveyancing, survey, contracts, and a realistic closing timeline.

Saving for a Deposit in Ireland

How much deposit you need to buy a home in Ireland, Central Bank LTV rules, what counts as a deposit, gifted deposits, and practical saving strategies.

Self-Employed Mortgages in Ireland

Self-employed, a contractor or company director? You can borrow on the same Central Bank limits; the difference is proving income. What lenders ask for.

Selling Your Home in Ireland: Costs, Steps and Tax

How to sell a home in Ireland: choosing an estate agent, what it costs, the step-by-step process, and the tax on a sale.

Stamp Duty in Ireland (2026 Rates)

Current stamp duty rates in Ireland, how much you'll pay on your purchase price, the rate bands, and when it falls due at closing.

Starting a Tenancy in Ireland: Deposits and RTB

What to sort before moving into a rented home in Ireland: deposit rules, tenancy agreements, RTB registration, and move-in day checks.

Switching Energy Supplier in Ireland

Just moved in, or want to cut your gas and electricity bills? Switching energy supplier in Ireland is quick and free. How to do it and what to check.

Switching Your Mortgage in Ireland

Moving your mortgage to a lower rate can cut your repayment, but weigh any break fee and costs against the saving. When it pays, what it costs, the steps.

Tenant Rights in Ireland (2026)

Your rights as a renter in Ireland: deposits, notice periods, rent pressure zones, and how to raise a dispute with the RTB.

The Accidental Landlord in Ireland

Renting out a home you didn't plan to let, inherited, unsold, or moved out of? Your legal duties: RTB registration, minimum standards, BER, and tax.

The Conveyancing Process in Ireland

Step-by-step through the legal side of buying in Ireland: from offer accepted to closing day, what your solicitor does, and typical timelines.