Buying Costs
The full cost of buying
a house in Ireland.
The deposit is only the entry ticket. Between going sale agreed and getting the keys you also pay stamp duty, legal fees and outlays, Tailte Éireann registration fees and a survey — roughly €6,495 to €8,864 on a €350,000 home. Here is every line, with the official rates behind it.
Before the fees start, a free PropertyPack snapshot in about a minute shows what you are buying.
The Worked Example
What does a €350,000 purchase actually cost?
On a €350,000 second-hand home, the costs on top of the deposit typically come to between €6,495 and €8,864: €3,500 of stamp duty at 1%, a solicitor's professional fee of €1,500–€3,000 plus VAT (published provider prices), €700 to register the transfer, and a pre-purchase survey at typically €450–€799. Smaller outlays — closing searches, commissioner fees, the lender's valuation — come on top, charged at cost.
| Cost line | On €350,000 | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty (1%) | €3,500 | Revenue — a tax, paid through your solicitor |
| Solicitor's professional fee (incl. 23% VAT) | €1,845–€3,690 | The firm — typical range per published provider prices; get the Section 150 letter |
| Tailte Éireann: register the transfer | €700 | Fees Order 2012 — flat fee for the €200,001–€400,000 band |
| Tailte Éireann: register the mortgage | €0–€175 | Free if lodged electronically until 31 December 2026; €175 otherwise |
| Pre-purchase survey | €450–€799 | The surveyor — typical published range across Irish providers |
| Indicative total on top of the deposit | €6,495–€8,864 | Plus searches, commissioner fees and the lender's valuation, at cost |
Stamp duty: Revenue rates, verified 31 August 2026. Registration fees: Tailte Éireann fees orders, verified 28 September 2026. Fee ranges: typical published provider prices, not quotes.
The Tax
How much is stamp duty?
Residential stamp duty is progressive: 1% on the first €1,000,000, 2% on the portion to €1,500,000 and 6% above that — so for the large majority of homes it is effectively a flat 1% (rates in force since 2 October 2024, unchanged by Budget 2026). New builds are charged on the VAT-exclusive price.
| Purchase price | Stamp duty |
|---|---|
| €250,000 | €2,500 |
| €350,000 | €3,500 |
| €500,000 | €5,000 |
| €1,200,000 | €14,000 |
The bands, exemptions and new-build arithmetic are on the stamp duty guide.
The Registration Fees
What does Tailte Éireann charge?
Registering you as the owner costs a flat fee set by the price band of the purchase, under the Land Registration (Fees) Order 2012. Registering the lender's mortgage normally costs €175, but charges lodged electronically pay nothing until 31 December 2026 — and most lender mortgages are now lodged that way. Your solicitor pays both as outlays and passes them on at cost.
| Purchase price | Transfer registration fee |
|---|---|
| Price up to €50,000 | €400 |
| €50,001 to €200,000 | €600 |
| €200,001 to €400,000 | €700 |
| Above €400,000 | €800 |
Sources: Irish Statute Book; Tailte Éireann. Verified 28 September 2026.
The Professionals
What do the solicitor and surveyor cost?
Solicitor: €1,500–€3,000 + VAT
The typical professional-fee range per published provider prices; some firms advertise lower flat fees, others charge a percentage of the price. Outlays are extra, at cost. Compare the professional fee line across quotes, and read what the fee actually buys.
Published provider prices
Survey: typically €450–€799
A pre-purchase survey inspects the building's condition once you are sale agreed — the checks a desk report cannot make. The survey guide covers what it includes and when to book.
Published provider range, verified 15 August 2026
Valuation and searches: at cost
Your lender requires a valuation of the property before drawdown, at a fee the lender sets. Closing searches and commissioner-for-oaths fees are small fixed outlays your solicitor pays and itemises. None of these are negotiable; all of them belong in the budget.
Lender and solicitor outlays
After the Keys
Which costs keep coming — and what offsets them?
Local Property Tax runs every year: a €350,000 valuation sits in a band charging €333 a year before your local authority's adjustment (bands as revalued for 2026 — the LPT guide has the full table). Home insurance is a lender requirement priced partly on flood risk, and apartments add annual management fees. On the other side of the ledger: first-time buyers of a new build can claim back up to €30,000 of tax through Help to Buy — €30,000 at this example price — and the Help to Buy and First Home Scheme guide shows how the two schemes stack. How much deposit you need, and the income the Central Bank mortgage rules require for your price, is set out separately.
The cheapest line in the whole budget is the data check. Every cost on this page is spent on one house — so find out what the house actually is before the meter starts. A free PropertyPack snapshot takes about a minute; the full €29 report runs 18 checks against official Irish sources — flood history, radon, mica designations, planning, sold prices — before you spend a cent on professionals.
Before the Fees
Check the property first.
Work through the buying-a-house checklist in order: data checks first, professionals second, closing costs last.
Free snapshot in about a minute. Full report €29.
Official data sourced from Irish government agencies
Frequently Asked Questions
Buying costs: FAQs.
How much are the fees when buying a house in Ireland?
On a €350,000 home, budget roughly €6,495 to €8,864 on top of the deposit: €3,500 stamp duty (1% under €1,000,000), a solicitor's professional fee of €1,500–€3,000 plus 23% VAT per published provider prices, €700 to register the transfer with Tailte Éireann, a pre-purchase survey typically €450–€799, plus smaller outlays such as searches and the lender's valuation fee. The exact total depends on the price band and the quotes you get.
How much is stamp duty on a house in Ireland?
Residential stamp duty is 1% on the first €1,000,000 of the price, 2% on the portion between €1,000,000 and €1,500,000, and 6% above that (Revenue rates in force since 2 October 2024, unchanged by Budget 2026). So a €350,000 home pays €3,500. On a new build the duty is charged on the VAT-exclusive price, so it works out slightly lower.
What are the Land Registry (Tailte Éireann) fees when buying?
Registering the transfer costs a flat fee by price band: €400 up to €50,000, €600 to €200,000, €700 to €400,000 and €800 above that (Land Registration (Fees) Order 2012, verified 28 September 2026). Registering a mortgage normally costs €175, but the fee is waived for charges lodged electronically until 31 December 2026, which covers most lender mortgages. Your solicitor pays these as outlays and passes them on at cost.
What does a solicitor charge for buying a house in Ireland?
Solicitors set their own fees. Published provider prices typically put the professional fee for a residential purchase at €1,500–€3,000 plus VAT at 23%; outlays (searches, commissioner-for-oaths fees, Tailte Éireann registration) are extra and charged at cost. Always ask for the written fee estimate — the Section 150 letter — before instructing, and compare the professional fee line, not the headline total.
What ongoing costs come after buying a house in Ireland?
The recurring ones are Local Property Tax — a €350,000 valuation sits in a band charging €333 a year before your local authority's adjustment (bands as revalued for 2026) — home insurance (a lender requirement, priced partly on flood risk), and utilities. Apartment owners also pay annual management fees. None of these appear at closing, so build them into the affordability sums early.
Government rates verified: stamp duty 31 August 2026; registration fees 28 September 2026. Professional-fee figures are typical published provider ranges, not quotes. This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice; your solicitor's Section 150 letter is the binding estimate.
