Ireland property guide
Buying Property in Ireland: Landdirect Folio and Title Plan Checks
Use Tailte Éireann’s Landdirect records to identify a registered property, compare its folio and title plan, and prepare boundary questions for your solicitor.
By MarkMyProperty · Updated
Coverage: Republic of Ireland registered land; unregistered property and conveyancing enquiries need a separate solicitor-led investigation.
Find the folio for the actual property
Tailte Éireann provides Landdirect access to the digital Land Register. A folio and its title plan are useful starting documents when you are considering registered land in Ireland. Ask the seller or your solicitor for the county and folio number, then confirm that the references describe the home you intend to buy.
Tailte’s copy-service guidance explains that the folios and maps form a public record and copies can be requested through the official service. Choose the copy appropriate to your purpose. Do not assume an agent’s cropped image contains every part of the folio or the accompanying map.
Keep the folio and plan together
Read the property description and registered entries with the plan rather than as separate assurances. Check whether the offer includes several plans, additional ground or an accessory outside the main house footprint. Keep the complete documents and their dates, including any information about pending dealings.
An advertised address can be helpful for finding a property, but the folio reference is central to the registered-land enquiry. If your solicitor explains that the property is unregistered, ask what alternative title investigation is required. Failure to find a familiar-looking folio is not a reason to invent a match.
- Record the county, folio number and copy date.
- Request the complete title plan and relevant folio material.
- Ask about additional parcels and pending dealings.
Understand the boundary limitation
Tailte’s legal notice states that the description of land in a register and its identification on a registry map are not conclusive as to boundaries or extent. A title plan is therefore not a promise that a fence, hedge or wall lies exactly on the legal boundary.
Use a viewing to identify questions for your solicitor and surveyor. If the garden outline, access route or building position appears inconsistent, record the discrepancy and request appropriate investigation. Enlarging a screenshot or drawing a new outline on a listing map does not settle a boundary question.
Fictional example: a strip beside the house
This original exercise illustrates a buyer’s questions; it does not describe an Irish listing.
The mowing line is wider than the supplied plan
At a viewing, a buyer sees a maintained grass strip beside the driveway. The seller says the family has always cut it. The buyer records the visible use separately from the description in the folio and plan.
The solicitor is asked whether the strip is included and which documents or survey evidence are needed. Until those questions are answered, the buyer does not use the wider mowing line to calculate the land included in the price.
Connect the register enquiry to the purchase file
Ask separately about rights of access, planning history, physical condition and the arrangements for completing the transfer. A registry copy is not a structural survey, and a viewing does not establish the documentary right to reach the property.
Use MarkMyProperty’s Ireland links to compare homes and plots. For every serious candidate, keep the advertised extent, folio references and unresolved enquiries on the same worksheet. Ask your solicitor when records should be refreshed and which matters must be settled before you become committed.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
Where can I obtain a folio and title plan?
Tailte Éireann directs requests for Land Register copies to its official copy services and Landdirect. Select the copy suitable for your purpose.
Does an Irish title plan conclusively determine boundaries?
No. Tailte’s legal notice explains that the registry description and map identification are not conclusive as to boundaries or extent.
What if the property is unregistered?
Ask your solicitor for the appropriate alternative title investigation. This guide’s folio workflow is for registered land.