THE TITLE DEEDS

If you have a mortgage, then the deeds to your house will have been retained by your Bank. Your Solicitor will ask you to sign a written authority to seek their return and the Bank will charge a small fee to cover the administration. It usually takes between 3 and 5 weeks for the deeds to arrive with the Solicitor depending on which Bank is involved. Until they are retrieved your Solicitor will not know for certain which of the further documents referred to below will be needed and which may already be with your deeds.

NPPR CERTIFICATE (Non-Principal Private Residence)

Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 as amended by the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 introduced a €200 annual charge on non-principal private residences payable to the Local Authority in the area where the residence is located. It was payable in respect of every property a person owned that constituted a private residence where that residence was not the owner’s principal private residence.

On receipt of proof of payment of that charge for each of the years 2009-2013 the Local Authority will issue a certificate of discharge. If the house was your principal place of residence in each of those years then you will need to apply for a certificate of exemption from the Local Authority. To get the exemption certificate you must prove that you are the owner of the house and that you lived there at the appropriate date in each of the relevant years.

NEW TITLE MAP

If the title to your property is one registered already in the more modern registry (known as the Land Registry) then a map can be bought for €40 and will arrive within a few working days of being ordered. If the property is an apartment or a house registered in the older registry (known as the Registry of Deeds). In that event an Architect/Engineer/mapping expert must (at your expense) prepare a Land Registry compliant map of the property as the purchaser will be required to register the title in the old registry first and then to create a new land Registry title.

BUILDING ENERGY RATING CERTIFICATE (BER)

It is a legal requirement that all properties that are offered for sale has a current BER certificate. If you bought the house recently this document may be with the deeds but if not, you would need to commission one.  BER certificates last 10 years.

MARITAL STATUS

To comply with the terms of the Family Home Protection Act 1976 and various other more recent Family Law Acts your Solicitor must prepare a declaration which will exhibit documentation vouching your marital status. Typical documents needed might be copies of marriage certificates, civil partnership registrations, death certificate of spouses, and divorce or separation papers.

IRISH PPS TAX NUMBERS

You cannot sell a property in Ireland now without an Irish PPS tax number. Many non- Nationals may have bought Irish properties years ago when this was not a requirement and may now need a PPS tax number. To get one for a non-resident it takes approximately 5-8 weeks.

PLANNING DOCUMENTATION

To sell a house/apartment you must be able to prove that the property was built in compliance with planning permission and designed and built in compliance with the Building Regulations. Proof is by a certificate from a qualified architect or engineer. If you have built a small extension or sun room this may be exempt but even so a certificate to that effect will be required. If you have converted the attic to living space, you may be in breach of the Building Regulations due to ceiling heights. Any planning problems need to be identified and, if possible, solved before a property is sold.

Thinking of selling, if you would like help and advice on your property market value, please get in touch with Beirne & Wise Estate Agents today. Call on 01228 0900 or drop us an email at info@beirnewise.ie

Wade Wise