Chapter 4 of 10 · The cost of buying · 3 of 8
Solicitor fees for buying a house in Ireland
Checked 21 Oct 2026the Central Bank's mortgage measures, Revenue's rules and the scheme operators' published terms.
What conveyancing costs in Ireland: typical fees, VAT, outlays like Land Registry and searches, fixed fee vs percentage, and quotes to compare.
Check before you hire: a solicitor should be on the register kept by the Law Society of Ireland. Law Society: find a solicitor
Written in plain English for the person buying, selling or switching. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
You cannot buy a home in Ireland without a solicitor. The solicitor's fee is one of the larger costs after stamp duty, and it comes with outlays on top. This guide explains what the fee covers, what the outlays are, the letter the solicitor must give you, and how to compare quotes.
What a solicitor does when you buy
The work is called conveyancing. Your solicitor (check the Law Society's register):
- Checks the seller's title, which is their legal right to sell.
- Reads the contracts and the special conditions, and raises questions with the seller's solicitor.
- Checks planning permission and building regulations for the home and any extension.
- Carries out searches to make sure there are no debts or judgments against the home.
- Handles the mortgage. The solicitor gives the lender an undertaking, a binding promise to register the lender's charge, and the lender sends the money to the solicitor.
- Pays the stamp duty to Revenue within 44 days.
- Registers you as the owner, and the lender's charge, with Tailte Éireann.
See the conveyancing solicitor page for when to engage one and what to ask.
The fee
The typical fee for buying is €1,500 to €3,000, plus VAT at 23%. That is the figure in our costs list at 21 October 2026, from the Bank of Ireland's published guide to the costs of buying. A fee of €2,000 is €2,460 with VAT.
Fixed fees are common. Some solicitors charge a percentage of the price instead, plus VAT. At 1%, a €380,000 home gives €3,800 plus VAT, which is more than most fixed fees. On a €200,000 home it is less.
The fee covers the solicitor's time. It does not cover the money the solicitor pays out to others on your behalf. Those are the outlays.
The outlays
Outlays are costs the solicitor pays to third parties and passes on to you at cost. They carry no VAT from the solicitor. Typical outlays on a purchase come to €400 to €1,200. They include:
| Outlay | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tailte Éireann registration fees | Recording you as the owner, and the lender's charge, on the register |
| Searches | Planning, judgment, bankruptcy and Companies Office searches on the seller and the home |
| Commissioner for oaths | A fee for swearing documents such as the family home declaration |
| Copy folio and map | The register's record of the home and its boundaries |
| Bank transfer fees | Moving the purchase money on closing |
The registration fees are the biggest outlay and depend on the price. Land Registry fees explains them. Tailte Éireann publishes the schedule; check it for the current figures.
A worked example
Róisín and Tom are buying at €380,000. Their solicitor quotes a fixed fee of €2,000 plus VAT, with outlays estimated at €900.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fee | €2,000 |
| VAT at 23% | €460 |
| Outlays | €900 |
| Total to the solicitor | €3,360 |
On top, the solicitor collects the stamp duty of €3,800 and pays it to Revenue. So the cheque to the solicitor before closing is about €7,160, plus the balance of the deposit. The cost of buying calculator lays it all out.
The section 150 letter
A solicitor must give you a letter under section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 before starting work. It sets out:
- The fee, or how it is worked out.
- The outlays expected.
- VAT.
- What happens if the purchase falls through.
Ask for it before you commit. It is your written quote. If the final bill differs from it, the solicitor must explain why.
Fixed fee against percentage
| Fixed fee | Percentage fee | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | One sum, whatever the price | A share of the price |
| On a €200,000 home, at 1% | Say €1,800 plus VAT | €2,000 plus VAT |
| On a €500,000 home, at 1% | Still €1,800 plus VAT | €5,000 plus VAT |
| The total grows with | Nothing | The price |
The 1% is an illustration, not a going rate. On a dearer home the fixed fee is usually the lower total, but compare the whole bill. A low fixed fee with high "extras" for a mortgage, a new build or Help to Buy paperwork can cost more than a plain quote.
Comparing quotes
Get two or three quotes. Ask each solicitor the same questions:
- Is the fee fixed? What does it include?
- What outlays do you expect, item by item?
- Is VAT included in the figure you gave me?
- Is there an extra charge for the mortgage, for a new build, for Help to Buy or the First Home Scheme paperwork?
- What do you charge if the sale falls through?
- Who in the office handles my file day to day?
- How long do you expect it to take?
Then compare the total of fee, VAT and outlays, not the headline fee. The hidden costs guide covers the extras that appear on some bills.
When the solicitor is paid
Most solicitors ask for nothing up front beyond, sometimes, a small sum towards the searches. The fee, the VAT, the outlays and the stamp duty are all paid in the days before closing. The solicitor sends you a statement listing every line and the total to transfer. You send the money by bank transfer, never in cash. The solicitor holds it in the client account until closing, when the mortgage money arrives from the lender and the whole price goes to the seller's solicitor.
If the purchase falls through before then, you pay only what the section 150 letter says for the work done.
What the solicitor cannot do for you
A solicitor checks the paperwork, not the building. The solicitor does not survey the home. That is a separate job for an engineer or building surveyor (Engineers Ireland or the SCSI). A solicitor also does not value the home or advise on the mortgage. Each is a different professional with a different fee.
Where this leaves you
Get the section 150 letter from two or three solicitors and compare the totals. Put the figure you choose into the cost of buying calculator beside the duty and the other costs. The first-time buyer journey shows when the solicitor is paid, and get quotes puts your enquiry to a solicitor in your county.
Questions people ask
How much does a solicitor charge for buying a house in Ireland?
Typically €1,500 to €3,000 plus VAT at 23% for the fee itself. Outlays of €400 to €1,200 come on top for registration, searches and the commissioner for oaths. Ask for a written quote that shows all three.
What is conveyancing?
The legal work of moving a home from the seller's name to yours: checking the title, reading the contracts, handling the mortgage money, paying the stamp duty and registering you as the owner.
What is a section 150 letter from a solicitor?
A letter the solicitor must give you under section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015. It sets out the fee, the outlays and the VAT before the work starts. Ask for it before you commit.
Do I pay less with a fixed fee solicitor?
Often, on a dearer home. A fixed fee stays the same whatever the price. A percentage fee grows with it. Compare the total, including outlays and VAT, not the headline.
Do I pay the solicitor if the sale falls through?
Usually something. Most quotes say what is charged if the purchase does not go ahead, often a share of the fee for the work done. Check that line before you engage.