First Registration.
First Registration essentially means entering in the registrar for the first time title to lands which were previously unregistered. In Ireland, there are two forms of registration, Registration of Deeds and Registration of Title.

Second Home Property Levy.
The Local Government (Charges) Act, 2009 came into effect on the 31st July 2009. From that date onwards, the sum of €200 is required to be paid to the relevant local authority for second home levies; however, any person who occupies their property as their principal private residence, is not required to pay the charge on that property.

€20,000 awarded to Leighlinbridge resident after renovations damage. A woman from Leighlinbridge who brought a case against her neighbour last week at Carlow Circuit Court was awarded €20,000 after her home was damaged during the renovation of her neighbour’s home.

A new hope for first-time buyers Ulster Bank has created a new initiative which is to be launched today in order to stimulate the Irish property market. The new scheme will be targeted at first-time buyers as well as property developers. The initiative will offer a mortgage to first-time buyers with built-in protection against negative equity.

Compulsory Purchase Order.
In order for each of us to have access to infrastructure (i.e. road, rail etc in Ireland,) it is sometimes necessary that local authorities acquire land through the medium of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO).

Landlord and Tenant.
You are classified as a tenant if you pay rent to a landlord for the use of accommodation or property. The Landlord and Tenants Acts 1967 – 1964 and the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 is the main legislation governing the rights and obligations of both Landlords and Tenants. It should be noted that the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 only apply to mainstream private rented housing and that local authority tenants and tenants who live in their landlord’s home (e.g. under the Rent a Room Scheme) are covered by different laws.

Purchasing an Apartment.
Purchasing an Apartment should be a relatively straight-forward process whether you are an investor or first time buyer. However, regardless of the type of buyer that you are, you should seek the advice of your Solicitor as soon as possible to ensure that you avoid any pitfalls associated with the purchase.

Never Again.
Whether purchasing or buying houses people often say to me that the whole process was extremely stressful and they never want to do it again. While human nature allows us to forget and we often do things again and again that we swore we would never do there are some things that can be done to alleviate the stress involved in the sale and purchase of a property.

Warning letters.
Should precede enforcement notices West Cork County Council has ordered the demolition of an “unauthorized” holiday home in West Cork. The council signed an enforcement order last week, stating that all construction work must cease and the house should be demolished as planning permission has not been granted for its construction.

Potential Time-Bomb for Apartment Owners.
Apartment complexes are an ever-more frequent feature of Irish skylines, and a recent report on behalf of the National Consumer Agency indicated that a record number of about half a million people in Ireland now live in apartment blocks. In the rush to embrace a more European style of property ownership however, the law has not kept apace with rapid change.