What does the Irish land register offer?
The Irish Land Register is operated and maintained by the Property Registration Authority of Ireland, the statutory body responsible for land registration in Ireland.
You can find both legal and factual details in the Irish land register.
Each title record is divided into three parts.
- Part 1 describes the geographical location of the property, by reference to a digital map and type of tenure (freehold or leasehold).
- Part 2 contains the names and addresses of the registered owners and the nature of the legal title.
- Part 3 sets out the legal encumbrances (mortgages, rights of way, etc.) affecting the property.
Is access to the Irish land register free of charge?
The Irish land register is an ‘open’ register. There is thus no restriction on using the service and the Property Registration Authority (PRA) charges no subscription fee for access.
However, fees are charged for actual usage of the service – at rates set out in the prevailing statutory fees order. Fees may be paid electronically or manually.
The Irish Land Register subscription service requires:
- A pre-paid account kept in credit
- An assigned user ID and password
- Configuration of the appropriate security access.
At present, you can take out a subscription to the Irish Land Register service directly from the Property Registration Authority.
There are currently over 15,000 subscribed users of the Irish Land Registry, and over 3 million transactions are conducted through the online service annually.
Since 2011, access to the Land Registry map and folio databases is also provided on a non-subscription basis and payment of fees by credit card is supported.
How to search the Irish land register
The Irish land register may be searched by a variety of means, including:
- Official title number
- Postal address of the property
- By navigating the online map
- By selecting a map area
- By inputting map coordinates
History of the Irish land register
The current system of land registration in operation in Ireland was established in 1892. Based on an ‘open’ register underpinned by a state-guarantee, the system was designed to replace gradually a registration of deeds system that had been in operation since 1707.
Related Links
European Land Information Service, Portal for Irish Government websites, Property Registration Authority of Ireland, Online services from Irish land register