The Land Registry in Ireland

The Irish Land Register

The Irish Land Registry was established in 1892 and ever since it has maintained the records of all land registrations. The Land Register in Ireland is the authority guaranteeing the validity of property titles held by owners of properties in Ireland. The Land Register also provides a title plan which contains the location and the area of the land. The Land Register in Ireland is divided into two separate systems: one is the registration of title system and the registration of deeds system, also called the Registry of Deeds. Each system is unique and in order to conduct real estate due diligence on an Irish property you must know which section of the Registry to look in. Both Registries are controlled by the Property Registration Authority (RPA), which was enabled under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act of 2006.

The registration of title within the Land Registry in Ireland

All titles of ownership registered in the Irish Land Register are called folios. These forms are the registers maintained by the Land Registry. Both property titles of natural persons and Irish companies are kept by the Land Register. The property registered with the Land Register is called as registered land.

The folio is the document that describes the registered land and contains the following information:

• - the name and the address of the owner,
• - the financial burdens affecting the property, such as mortgages,
• - maps of the title plans. 

Folios can be searched online on the Irish Land Register’s or the Property Registration Authority’s website and is subject to certain fees.

The Registry of Deeds in Ireland

The Registry of Deeds was enabled is 1708 and its main roles were to register and keep the memorials of deeds or declarations of unregistered land. The memorial of deed is a document containing the name and descriptions of all witnesses to the deed. The memorial also provides a description of the property. Beginning with 2008, memorials have been replaced with registry of deeds (ROD) application forms. Irish citizens purchasing a property are required to file the ROD application with the Registry of Deeds.

For details about property registration with the Land Register, please contact our specialists in Ireland.