Conveyancing is the legal process of changing the ownership of a property or piece of land and is required whether the property is a residential home or a business premises. It involves a range of different phases and types of activity to be carried out by the conveyancing solicitors.

These include legally required checks, searches and documents to be completed, to ensure that the transaction meets all of the standards necessary.

A conveyancing solicitor is responsible for assisting the seller or buyer of the property with the transfer of the title from one owner to the next and ensuring the transaction meets all legal requirements, while protecting the rights of their client.

The fees for conveyancing solicitors in Ireland can vary widely, depending on factors such as the complexity of the specific transaction and even the location of the property in some cases. On average, residential conveyancing costs usually range between €1900-€4500.

In addition to the solicitor’s fees, there will also be the costs of any legal checks and searches required, known as disbursements, to take into account.

The cost of conveyancing can vary, with individual factors affecting specific transactions playing a part in how much legal work is involved. Your solicitor should discuss the likely cost of conveyancing with you before proceeding with your property transaction, so you know what to expect.

Factors that can affect the cost of conveyancing may include, but are not limited to:

• Whether the property is freehold or leasehold
• Whether any government schemes are involved in the property transaction e.g. Help to Buy
• Any specific issues with the property, such as contentious restrictive covenants

One way to find a good conveyancing solicitor is to choose a firm with a proven track record in providing excellent conveyancing services and positive reviews left by previous conveyancing clients. Another important aspect is ensuring you choose a solicitor with a good reputation for communication.

If you are remortgaging your property with a different lender, a mortgage solicitor will be needed to make the transfer of funds from the old provider to the new one and will ensure that the process followed in this change of lender is legally compliant. 

You don’t need a solicitor in order to apply for or be offered a mortgage by a lender, but you will need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor as soon as you have an offer accepted on a property so that they can start the legal process of the purchase and handle the change of ownership.

If you are looking for a conveyancing solicitor to help with the process of buying a house, there are a number of questions you can ask so you understand more about the solicitor you might instruct. The questions you can ask them include:

• What is your conveyancing fee structure and how much will this service cost me?
• What is included in your conveyancing services?
• How much experience do you have in conveyancing with a property like mine?
• What do you need from me, and when, to keep things moving forwards?
• How (and how often) will I be updated on the status of the conveyancing process?
• How will you protect me from potential conveyancing scams or other security risks?
• What happens if my conveyancing contact is out of the office when action is needed?

Getting satisfactory answers to these questions can help you to decide which conveyancing solicitors to use for your property purchase.

To find out how our expert conveyancing solicitors can help with your property purchase or sale, contact the team today 056-7765829.