Tips to ensuring the smooth sale of your residential property

There are a number of documents which must be provided to your solicitor to allow them to prepare the necessary Contract for the sale of your property.  To assist in an efficient delivery of the document,  we have prepared a checklist of what is required:-

1. Title deeds: If your property is mortgaged, the title deeds may be held by your lender.  An application has to be submitted by your solicitor to your lender to obtain the title deeds and the delivery of the deeds can sometimes take a number of weeks.  Your solicitor cannot prepare a Contract for Sale until they have received the title deeds, so it is important to submit this application as soon as possible.
2. BER Certificate and advisory report. It is a legal requirement to produce a BER (building energy rating) Certificate and advisory report.  This BER rating is designed to make the energy performance of a property transparent to a purchaser.
3. Planning documents. The original planning documents are most likely held with your title deeds, however if works were carried out to your property since you purchased it, it is necessary to obtain the relevant planning documents to include all Planning Permissions and Architects Certificates of Compliance with planning permission and building regulations.  If works were carried out to your property which were deemed exempted development and did not require planning permission, it may be necessary to obtain an Architects Certificate of Exemption in respect of those works.
4. A map of the property. Depending on the type of title (which your solicitor will advise on once they receive the title deeds), it may be necessary to obtain a Land Registry compliant map for the property.
5. Local Property Tax A printout of the “payment history” from the Revenue website is required.  This should show that the LPT has been paid for all years and there are no arrears outstanding.  The property should be registered in an appropriate valuation band which correlates with the sales price of the property.  If the property has been registered in a valuation band which is below that for which it is now being sold, it is necessary to check if the property has been registered within a band which is within “the allowable margin” as permitted by the Revenue Commissioners.  If not, it may be necessary to seek special clearance from the Revenue Commissioners.  Please consult the Revenue website www.revenue.ie/mn/property/documents/lptguidelines-sale-or-transfer-sept-2017.pdf.
6. NPPR Certificate of Discharge or NPPR Certificate of Exemption. The Non Principle Private Residence (NPPR) charge was the charge which applied to properties which were not deemed to be the vendor’s principal private residence from 2009 to 2013.  It will be necessary to apply to your Local Authority to obtain the necessary Certificate either of exemption (if the charge didn’t apply) or discharge (if the charge did apply and it had been paid for all relevant years).
7. An Irish PPS number. This is required to allow the purchaser file a stamp duty return with revenue after the transaction completes.
8. Marriage Certificates and confirmation of the marital status of the vendor. This is necessary as you as vendor will be required to provide a declaration on closing to confirm if the property is a “family home” or not.
9. Grant of Probate (if applicable).
10. Management company information: If the property is located within a managed estate, details of the management agents will be required. It is necessary to produce a set of replies to a precedent questionnaire, which are provided by the management company, to the purchaser.  This questionnaire is completed in full by the management agents, and the management company usually charges a fee to produce the completed questionnaire and necessary ancillary documents.
11. Septic Tank registration certificate: If the property is serviced by a septic tank, a Certificate of Registration of the septic tank with Irish Water must be produced.
12. Other: If the property is subject to any rights of way, easements, disputes, agreements with neighbours or any other charges (for example the nursing home support scheme charge) these details should be provided to the solicitor as soon as possible.

Once the solicitor has the title deeds and all ancillary documents, they will be able to prepare the Contract for Sale and will have it available once the sale is agreed.

We would be happy to assist in the sale of your property should you require any further information please contact Sally Alford