Irish Property Purchasing Costs

Stamp Duty & Legal Costs

When purchasing property in Ireland the main costs are 1) Stamp Duty, which is a tax paid to the Irish Government and 2) Legal Costs which are payable to your solicitor who handles the property conveyance on your behalf.

Stamp Duty

Stamp duty is charged on the instruments used in the transfer of property in other words, the conveyance documents that transfer ownership of the property. The only factor affecting the amount of stamp duty is the value of the property.

It applies to residential property such as houses or apartments. It is also payable on land or housing sites without residential buildings. If your agreement to buy a site is linked to a construction contract, stamp duty may be payable on the full amount of the site plus the construction contract.

Stamp Duty Rates - Residential Property

There was no change in Budget 2012 to the current rates of stamp duty on residential property. The following rates of stamp duty apply to all residential property:

Property value Rate
Up to EUR 1,000,000 1%
Balance 2%

Non-residential property

Budget 2012 announced the following changes to the stamp duty system for non-residential property:

Legal Costs

Your Solicitor will act on your behalf to ensure the correct and legal transfer of the property from the seller to you. Normally you can expect to pay between 1% - 1.5% of the purchase price in Legal Fees, and VAT at 21% is added to this amount. You should shop around for the best deal when engaging a solicitor.


POST YOUR HOUSE for sale on this site