Quick answer: Conveyancing is the legal transfer of property ownership. In Ireland it typically takes 6–12 weeks from offer accepted to closing day. Your solicitor handles contract review, title searches, and registration — you should instruct one immediately on going sale agreed.
What is Conveyancing?
Conveyancing is the legal process by which ownership of a property transfers from the seller to the buyer. In Ireland, all property transactions must be handled by a qualified solicitor on each side.
The Conveyancing Timeline
Week 1–2: Instruct Your Solicitor
Instruct your solicitor the same day your offer is accepted. They will: - Request the draft contracts and title documents from the vendor's solicitor - Begin checking the title (chain of ownership, planning permissions, any charges on the property)
Best practice: in the same week, ask the estate agent whether they run the sale on Progressa. It gives you, the vendor and the agent one shared record of the sale. You get a private page, with no account or password, showing where the sale is, what it is waiting on and what happened last. Your solicitor still does the legal work and still advises you. What changes is that a quiet fortnight no longer means a round of phone calls to find out whether anything has happened.
Week 2–4: Title Investigation
Your solicitor conducts title searches, including: - Land Registry / Registry of Deeds searches — confirming the seller legally owns the property and there are no undisclosed charges or mortgages - Planning searches — verifying any extensions or conversions have proper planning permission or exemption - Judgment searches — checking for court judgments against the seller that could affect the title - Company searches (if applicable) — if the property is in a property company's name
This is the stage that causes most delays — title issues (missing planning permission, unclear title, outstanding charges) must be resolved before your solicitor can advise you to sign.
Week 3–6: Structural Survey
Organise a structural survey as early as possible — do not wait for contracts to be ready. A surveyor inspects the property and reports on: - Structural condition (walls, roof, foundations) - Damp, subsidence, or settling - Electrical and plumbing condition (overview) - Any areas of concern requiring specialist investigation
If the survey reveals issues, you can negotiate a price reduction, ask the seller to fix them, or withdraw.
Week 4–8: Mortgage Loan Offer
Your mortgage lender issues a formal letter of loan offer — this is separate from Approval in Principle. It is issued after the lender has: - Received a valuation of the specific property - Completed their own underwriting assessment - Confirmed the property is acceptable as security
Both you and your solicitor will receive the loan offer documents. Your solicitor will advise on the conditions.
Week 6–10: Sign Contracts
Once your solicitor is satisfied with the title and you have received your loan offer, you sign the contracts. At this point: - You typically pay 10% of the purchase price as a contract deposit (minus whatever booking deposit was already paid) - You are legally committed to the purchase - The vendor countersigns
Withdrawal after signing contracts will result in loss of your deposit.
Week 8–12: Closing Day
On closing day (also called "completion"): - Your solicitor draws down the mortgage funds from your lender - The balance of the purchase price is transferred to the vendor's solicitor - The keys are handed over (usually via the estate agent) - The deed of transfer is executed — you are now the legal owner
After Closing: Registration
Your solicitor must: - Pay stamp duty to Revenue within the statutory 30-day deadline (Revenue applies late-filing surcharges after 44 days — the 30-day statutory deadline plus a 14-day administrative grace period) - Register the transfer at Tailte Éireann (the State property registration body) — this formally records you as the legal owner - Send you the title documents (deeds) once registration is complete
Property registration is governed by Tailte Éireann, which was established under the Tailte Éireann Act 2022 (replacing the former Property Registration Authority). For a straightforward transfer of already-registered land, registration can complete within a few weeks when everything is in order; first registrations and cases caught in the Tailte Éireann backlog can take many months.
Solicitor Fees
See our buying costs guide for typical solicitor fee ranges. Always get quotes from at least two solicitors before instructing.
Key Points
- Instruct your solicitor immediately on going sale agreed — delays in instructing lead to delays in closing.
- Do not sign contracts without your solicitor's written advice.
- Neither party is legally bound until both have signed contracts.
- The 10% contract deposit (paid on signing) is at risk if you withdraw without a legal basis.
- Contracts are prepared on the Law Society General Conditions of Sale (2023 Revised Edition) — the current standard form for residential conveyancing in Ireland.
- Keep your mortgage lender updated throughout — changes in income or new credit between AIP and loan offer can cause approval to be withdrawn.
- Get the sale onto one shared record. Ask the agent to run it on Progressa so you, the vendor and the agent can all see what the file is waiting on.
Common Questions
Q: What is the difference between a booking deposit and a contract deposit? The booking deposit (€5,000–€10,000) is paid informally to the estate agent on going sale agreed — it's refundable and not legally binding. The contract deposit (typically 10% of purchase price) is paid when you sign contracts and is legally committed — if you pull out without a valid reason, you forfeit it.
Q: What causes delays in conveyancing? Most delays come from title issues (missing planning records, unclear ownership history), the vendor's solicitor being slow to issue documents, or the buyer's mortgage taking longer than expected. You can't control the vendor's side, but you can reduce your own delays by instructing a solicitor early and responding quickly to requests. If the sale is on Progressa, you, the vendor and the agent all see the same record of what has been requested and what is still outstanding, which takes the guesswork out of a quiet week.
Q: Can I do conveyancing without a solicitor? In theory you can act for yourself in an unregistered title transaction, but it is strongly inadvisable. Mortgage lenders will require a solicitor on the transaction, and the complexity of Irish property law makes errors costly.