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New guide highlights seven key steps to speed up sale of home

These relate to documentation, planning and taxes, according to the guide from Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and the Law Society

There are seven key steps to follow to speed up the sale of a residential property, according to a new guide. Photograph: Alan Betson

Mon Jul 1 2024 - 05:00

There are seven key steps that sellers of homes need to follow to speed up the sale of their properties, according to a new guide compiled by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and the Law Society of Ireland.

These relate to documentation, planning and taxes, which are listed as the prime causes of delays when buying and selling a property in Ireland.

Shirley Coulter, chief executive of the SCSI, said that while the average time frame to complete a sale was more than four months, there can be considerable delays for a “significant number of sales”.

“One key document is the property’s title deeds, which is often held by a bank or other lender, but others include copies of marriage or civil partnership certificates and land registry and mapping documents,” Ms Coulter said.

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“Additional information and documentation may be required if third parties have rights over a property such as a right of residence or right of way or if there have been boundary issues or disputes with a neighbour. Compliance with or exemptions from planning permission and/or building regulations is an area where we are seeing an increasing number of holdups.

“For example, if a building extension has been added on, copies of planning permissions and evidence of compliance with that permission and with building regulations will be required. If the extension was below the size threshold to require planning permission a certificate of exemption will be needed.”

Mark Garrett, director general of the Law Society, noted that the sales process could involve up to 15 interdependent parties as well as dozens of documents. “A delay at any point can have a knock-on effect on the process and lead to significant delays, which can in turn negatively impact the Irish housing market. In many cases selling a house in Ireland takes far too long, and the Law Society has long called for systemic reform of the conveyancing system.”

The guide notes that measures to prevent money laundering and a requirement to collect outstanding taxes and charges have been introduced in recent years. The latter includes evidence of payment of the local property tax and the household charge.

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