Before you sign for a new-build home in the Republic of Ireland, have an Irish conveyancing solicitor review the contract and title, obtain written mortgage approval, pin down the specification and completion promises, investigate the estate or owners’ management company, and arrange qualified inspections and a formal snag list. Also check the dated Help to Buy rules against your own eligibility and contract date. These checks protect you from paying for omitted items, inheriting unclear obligations or discovering defects after handover.
1. Build the complete cost plan before making an offer
The advertised price is only one part of the cash you need. Prepare a written budget before you commit, and ask your solicitor and lender which amounts must be paid before drawdown or closing.
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- Deposit and the balance of the purchase price.
- Mortgage-related charges and any lender-required valuation or insurance.
- Stamp duty.
- Conveyancing fees, VAT on legal fees where applicable, searches and registration.
- Survey, inspection and snagging fees.
- Home insurance and any specialist cover required by the lender.
- Moving costs, storage and temporary accommodation if completion dates change.
- Optional extras, upgraded finishes, appliances, window coverings, flooring or external works not included in the base specification.
- Post-handover work you may have to fund yourself.
The Law Society of Ireland identifies purchase, mortgage, tax, registration, legal, search and survey or repair costs as items buyers should budget for. Its guidance is available at Buying a home.
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Do not treat an informal affordability conversation as approval. Obtain the lender’s written approval and ask what valuation, insurance, identification, planning or other conditions remain. The Law Society notes that a loan cheque can be delayed until the lender’s requirements have been met, so a developer’s estimated completion date is not the same as confirmed finance.
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Record every promise made before the booking deposit
Ask the developer or agent to identify the exact house type and plot, floor-area measurement basis, included specification, parking space, storage, boundaries, landscaping, completion estimate and optional extras. Put verbal promises into the written offer, reservation paperwork or specification schedule. Give those documents to your solicitor rather than relying on sales-office assurances.
2. Instruct a conveyancing solicitor before signing
Choose an Irish conveyancing solicitor early enough to review the contract before you sign or pay a deposit. The solicitor should explain the contract, investigate title, carry out appropriate searches, coordinate exchange and closing documentation, and deal with registration after completion.
Ask for an explanation of the contract, not just a signature appointment
Ask the solicitor to explain, in plain language:
- What interest you are buying and whether it is freehold or leasehold.
- The deposit amount, when it becomes committed and the circumstances, if any, in which it can be refunded.
- What event triggers completion and how a completion notice or estimated date operates.
- Which specification, drawings, plans and extras are contractually binding.
- How the contract defines a defect, incomplete work or a variation.
- How snag items must be reported and whether there are deadlines, exclusions or procedures for unresolved items.
- Any rights or obligations affecting shared roads, paths, services, parking, landscaping or other common areas.
Only the actual contract and its attached documents can establish what a particular clause means. A general checklist cannot determine whether a term is acceptable for your plot.
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Ask which searches are appropriate
The government’s Your Step by Step Guide to Buying a Home describes title searches and, where requested, planning searches as ways to identify issues before completion. Ask your solicitor what title, planning, rights-of-way, services and other searches are suitable for the site and development, and what each search does not establish.
3. Turn the specification into a written, checkable schedule
A new-build price can cover a basic specification while marketing material shows upgrades. Request a dated written schedule and compare it with the show-home or brochure.
Confirm what is included
- Kitchen units, worktops, sanitaryware and bathroom fittings.
- Appliances, flooring, lighting, window coverings and built-in storage.
- External paving, fencing, gates, turf, planting and boundary treatments.
- Parking space, garage, bicycle storage, bin storage and any allocated visitor spaces.
- Utility connections, broadband or television points and other fixed installations.
- Every selected upgrade, credit or allowance, with its price and installation responsibility.
Ask how substitutions or discontinued products are handled. Have the solicitor check which specification documents form part of the contract and whether the developer can change materials or finishes.
Check heating, insulation and energy information
Ask what heating system is installed, how it is controlled, what insulation standard is used and when the Building Energy Rating (BER) information will be supplied. Confirm whether any renewable-energy equipment, ventilation system or controls shown in sales material is included in your plot rather than being an optional upgrade.
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4. Investigate the wider development and nearby proposals
A completed house can still sit inside an unfinished estate. Ask for a written status report on the wider works and have your solicitor investigate relevant planning material.
Establish what remains to be built
- Are roads, footpaths and public or private lighting complete?
- Are landscaping, play areas, boundaries and shared facilities finished?
- Which phases remain under construction, and what is the developer’s current programme?
- Who is responsible for maintaining unfinished areas before they are transferred or taken in charge?
- Will construction traffic, temporary access or plant affect your occupation?
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) checklist specifically prompts buyers to ask about completion of roads, pathways, lighting and landscaping, and about proposed development in the area. You can use its checklist at Buying a property: Checklist 2: Finding out more.
Check proposed development near the home
Ask what is planned nearby and whether future building, roads or commercial uses could affect access, outlook, noise, privacy or construction activity. Treat informal statements that “nothing is planned” as insufficient; ask your solicitor to review relevant planning information and explain what it means for the plot.
5. Understand tenure and shared-area obligations
Freehold or leasehold
Ask whether the home is freehold or leasehold and what interest is actually being conveyed. A lease or transfer may contain rights, covenants, service obligations or restrictions affecting extensions, parking, shared access and maintenance. Have your solicitor explain these terms before you become bound.
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In an apartment or multi-unit scheme, owners may share facilities and services, pay a service charge and become members of an owners’ management company (OMC). Request the current annual charge, recent accounts, sinking-fund information, insurance arrangements, maintenance responsibilities and details of incomplete common areas.
Ask who maintains roofs, lifts, façades, corridors, gardens, access roads, lighting, drainage and other shared assets. Have the solicitor review the OMC constitution, lease or transfer, service-charge provisions, budgets, accounts and any documents describing the handover of common areas. The OMC’s existence, finances and obligations are specific to each development; do not assume that one scheme’s arrangements apply to another.
6. Arrange independent inspections and a formal snag list
The Law Society advises buyers of new homes to deal with the builder on property details and extras and to arrange periodic inspections and a snag list with a qualified surveyor, architect or engineer. Arrange access during construction where possible and a final inspection before handover.
Agree the inspection process with the developer
Before booking an inspector, ask:
- When construction-stage and pre-handover access is permitted.
- Whether the developer includes any inspection or snagging service and exactly what it covers.
- Whether your own surveyor, architect or engineer can attend.
- How defects must be recorded, who receives the list and the deadline for submitting it.
- When the developer will address agreed items and how completed work will be documented.
Use a qualified professional who states the scope of inspection, areas that cannot be accessed and the form of report supplied. A snag list should identify each item precisely enough to recheck it, rather than merely describing a room as “unfinished”.
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- External walls, roof, windows, doors, seals, gutters, drainage and visible damp or water ingress.
- Floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, joinery, tiling, paint and visible finish quality.
- Heating controls, hot-water operation, ventilation, sockets, switches, alarms and visible plumbing.
- Kitchen, bathrooms, appliances and fitted items against the written specification.
- Boundaries, paths, parking, external taps, lighting, fencing, gates and landscaping included for the plot.
Inspection does not replace title, planning, building-documentation, contract or management-company review. It is a physical check of the property and should be used alongside legal and financial due diligence.
7. Identify the warranty and its limits
Ask for the named structural or home warranty, its certificate and the full policy documents. The CCPC checklist asks buyers whether a HomeBond or Premier Guarantee applies, but the existence of a named warranty does not establish what an individual policy covers.
Before relying on it, confirm:
- Who provides the warranty and who can make a claim.
- What structural defects, workmanship issues or other losses are covered.
- Exclusions, maintenance conditions, claim deadlines and notification rules.
- Whether cover starts at completion, practical completion or another stated date.
- How to report a defect if the developer does not resolve it.
Do not assume that a warranty covers every finish issue or removes the need to record snags promptly. Keep the policy, inspection report, photographs, correspondence and evidence of agreed repairs.
8. Check Help to Buy against your contract date
Revenue describes Help to Buy (HTB) as an incentive for first-time property purchasers. It applies to an eligible new home that you purchase or self-build as a home to live in, and the relief is based on qualifying Irish Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid in the four tax years before the application. Start with Revenue’s Help to Buy (HTB) Scheme guidance and confirm the contractor’s approval before relying on the relief.
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Published maximums and dates
| Qualifying purchase-contract date | Published maximum relief | Other limits |
|---|---|---|
| Through 6 October 2026 | Up to €30,000 | The claim is also limited by 10% of the purchase value and qualifying Income Tax and DIRT paid in the previous four tax years. |
| 7 October 2026 to 31 December 2029 | Up to €35,000 | The claim is the lowest of €35,000, 10% of the purchase value and qualifying Income Tax and DIRT paid in the previous four tax years. |
The €35,000 figure is the current enhanced band published by Revenue for qualifying contracts signed from 7 October 2026 through 31 December 2029. The cap applies per qualifying property, regardless of the number of purchasers, and Revenue says the new-build refund is paid to the qualifying contractor. Check the complete conditions, application timing and contractor status on Revenue’s How much can you claim? — Help to Buy Scheme page before signing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.9. Prepare for completion and handover
Ask the solicitor, lender and developer to confirm what must happen before the closing date. Use a written handover list so that practical details are not lost between the sales office, builder, solicitor and lender.
- Confirm the final contract documents, title information, planning material and specification are complete.
- Check that the lender has received every required document and that funds can be released on time.
- Obtain the BER information, warranty documents, manuals, certificates and keys or access devices that are due at handover.
- Record meter readings, utility arrangements, alarm codes, appliance instructions and emergency contacts.
- Photograph the condition of the home and external areas when you receive possession.
- Obtain a written record of outstanding snags, the person responsible and the agreed completion or review date.
- Confirm how communal areas, parking, bins, landscaping and estate roads will be managed after occupation.
If the property or shared works are not ready, ask your solicitor what the contract permits and what notification or protection is available. Do not make a legal decision about delaying, accepting or terminating without advice on the actual contract.
10. Warning signs that need a pause
- The advertised specification differs from the written schedule, or extras are promised only verbally.
- You are asked to sign before your solicitor has reviewed the contract or title.
- The completion date is repeatedly described as fixed even though finance, roads or common areas are unresolved.
- You cannot obtain clear information about the OMC, service charge, sinking fund or insurance in a multi-unit scheme.
- Inspection access is refused or there is no agreed process for submitting and correcting snags.
- The warranty provider, policy scope or claim route is unclear.
- Nearby development or planning information is answered with assurances rather than documents.
- Your mortgage approval is conditional and the lender’s outstanding requirements have not been met.
For any of these issues, stop relying on sales explanations and ask the solicitor, lender or qualified inspector for a documented answer before committing further funds.
11. A compact question list to take to each professional
Questions for the developer or agent
- What exactly is included in this plot’s price and what is an optional extra?
- What are the floor area basis, boundaries, parking and storage arrangements?
- What heating, insulation, ventilation and BER information will be supplied?
- Which roads, paths, lighting, landscaping and shared facilities remain unfinished?
- When and how can my qualified inspector access the property?
- What warranty applies, and where can I read its full terms?
Questions for the solicitor
- Is the interest freehold or leasehold, and what rights and obligations come with it?
- What searches and planning checks are appropriate for this plot?
- Which specification and extras are binding contract documents?
- How do deposit, completion, defects, snags, variations and deadlines operate?
- What OMC documents, service charges and shared-area obligations should I understand?
Questions for the lender
- Is approval in writing, and what conditions remain before funds can be released?
- Which valuation, insurance, title or other documents are still required?
- How much notice is needed to arrange the loan cheque or electronic drawdown?
Questions for the inspector
- What qualifications, insurance and inspection scope do you provide?
- Can you inspect during construction as well as before handover?
- How will each snag be recorded, prioritised and rechecked?
- What areas cannot be inspected, and what separate specialist checks might be needed?
A new-build purchase is safest when the legal, financial, specification, estate-management and physical checks are completed as separate workstreams, with written answers retained in one file. That record gives you something concrete to compare at handover and to use if a promised item, shared facility or defect remains unresolved.
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