1 Real Estate Law

1.1  Please briefly describe the main laws that govern real estate in your jurisdiction. Laws relating to leases of business premises should be listed in response to question 10.1. Those relating to zoning and environmental should be listed in response to question 12.1. Those relating to tax should be listed in response to questions in Section 9.

Irish law was historically based on old legislation which predates the establishment of the Irish State in 1922, such as the Conveyancing Acts, 1881–1911 (the "Conveyancing Acts") and the Settled Land Acts, 1882–1890. The Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, 2009 (the "2009 Act") replaced much of the old law, including the pre-1922 statute law, and modernised the law and conveyancing practice. There is modern legislation governing registration of title (Registration of Title Act, 1964 which was modified by the Registration of Deeds and Title Act, 2006) to facilitate the increasing computerisation of the property registration system in this jurisdiction and succession law (Succession Act, 1965).

There is extensive statutory protection afforded to family property in particular, which affects conveyancing practice (e.g. the Family Home Protection Act, 1976). This is partly due to the fact that Ireland has a written Constitution enshrining certain fundamental rights which override any other law, including legislation. Thus it is not uncommon to find legislation declared by the domestic courts to be unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void.

1.2  What is the impact (if any) on real estate of local common law in your jurisdiction?

Irish property law is essentially based on both legislation and common law.

1.3 Are international laws relevant to real estate in your jurisdiction? Please ignore EU legislation enacted locally in EU countries.

There are no international laws of direct relevance to real estate in this jurisdiction. However, as Ireland is a common law jurisdiction, court decisions made in other common law jurisdictions (such as the UK) are often accepted as having persuasive authority by the Irish judiciary.

2 Ownership

2.1 Are there legal restrictions on ownership of real estate by particular classes of persons (e.g. non-resident persons)?

There are no legal restrictions on the ownership of real estate by non-resident persons in this jurisdiction. However, anti-money laundering legislation requires that a number of checks be carried out on a potential buyer, and the identity of the buyer, the source of funds and the ability to fund the acquisition of real estate will need to be verified.

3 Real Estate Rights

3.1  What are the types of rights over land recognised in your jurisdiction? Are any of them purely contractual between the parties?

Irish property can be held under freehold title which confers absolute ownership, or a leasehold title which confers ownership for the period of years granted by the relevant lease and held from the owner of the freehold or the owner of the superior leasehold title in the relevant property. A leasehold interest is based on a contractual relationship between the lessor/landlord and the lessee/tenant. The quality of the title to land generally falls into four categories, namely:

  • Absolute title.
  • Possessory title.
  • Qualified title.
  • Good Leasehold title.

3.2  Are there any scenarios where the right to a real estate diverges from the right to a building constructed thereon?

Real estate in Ireland comprises all immovable property. This includes land and any buildings or fixtures on the land. No distinction is made between title to land and title to buildings where they are in the same ownership. Typically, the owner of land is also the owner of any buildings erected on the land. However, there is no impediment to having different owners.

3.3  Is there a split between legal title and beneficial title in your jurisdiction and what are the registration consequences of any split?

There is a split between legal title and beneficial ownership of property in Ireland. The 2009 Act provides that the entire beneficial interest in property passes to the buyer on the making of an enforceable contract for the sale or other disposition of land. The beneficial interest in property can also be held through a traditional "off-title" trust.

In respect of registered land, the Land Registry does not recognise a split between legal title and beneficial ownership and only the legal owner of property will be recorded in part 2 (the ownership section) of the folio. A beneficial owner may, however, protect his or her interest in the property by registering a caution or an inhibition against the folio in question. The purpose of a caution is to obtain notice of dealings by the registered owner so that the cautioner has an opportunity to assert his or her unregistered right(s). An inhibition, on the other hand, operates as a restriction on registration that prevents all registrations except those made in compliance with the terms thereof. In addition, a priority entry may be made by an intended purchaser, lessee, or chargee of property affording them priority over other registrations in respect of the folio for a period of 44 days from the date of registration of the priority entry.

Download >> The International Comparative Legal Guide To Real Estate 2018

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.