Buying a new build or off-plan home in Ireland: what to check, and who checks it
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Buying a new build or off-plan home in Ireland usually runs: booking deposit, signing contracts, the build, a snag inspection, then drawdown and keys. The CCPC says a booking deposit is refundable until contracts are signed, so do your checks before then. Look at the estate's planning permission and drawings, what is planned on the sites around it, flood risk and drainage, and transport and school plans. Your solicitor deals with title and the planning compliance of your home.
The steps from show house to keys
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) sets out nine steps for first-time buyers: plan your budget, sort out your deposit, get mortgage approval in principle, engage a solicitor, find your home, make an offer, sign contracts, drawdown, and get the keys.
On a new build, a few of those steps look different.
Booking deposit. You pay it to reserve the house. The CCPC says it "can be a fixed amount, for example €5,000, or a small percentage of the offer", and that "the booking deposit is refundable until contracts are signed" (CCPC).
Contracts. Your solicitor reviews the developer's contract before you sign. This is the point after which walking away gets harder, so it is the deadline for your own checks.
The build. Off plans, this can be a long wait. What you bought is described by the drawings, the contract and the planning permission.
Snag inspection. Before closing, a building surveyor or engineer inspects the finished home and lists defects and unfinished work for the developer to fix. Snagging is carried out "close to or on the completion of a new build" (Irish Examiner, 18 Nov 2023).
Drawdown and keys. Your lender releases the mortgage and the sale closes. Lenders can set conditions first. One buyer's lender would not release funds until home insurance with flood cover was in place (Askaboutmoney, 20 Dec 2025).
Who checks what
Nobody checks everything. This is the honest split.
| Who | What they check |
|---|---|
| You | The area: what is planned around the estate, flood risk, transport, schools. The Law Society is clear that "a decision to buy a property and to check out an area is a matter for the purchaser" and is not part of the solicitor's role (Law Society, 7 Dec 2018) |
| Your solicitor | The contract and title. Evidence that the house has planning permission and, where appropriate, an architect's or engineer's opinion that it was built in accordance with it (Law Society, 30 Jun 2002). Questions about taking in charge and any management company |
| Snag surveyor or engineer | The finished house: defects, finishes, and anything not built properly |
| Structural defects cover | Longer-term structural problems. Builders can register homes with a provider such as HomeBond. Ask your solicitor which cover applies and what it includes |
| Your lender and insurer | The mortgage, its conditions, and home insurance including flood cover |
| PropertyBuddy (optional) | The area checks in the first row, done for you and written up in plain English. See what the report covers |
The rest of this guide covers the checks in the first row, which fall to you.
The estate's planning permission and your house type's drawings
A brochure floor plan is drawn to sell the house. The drawings in the estate's planning file are the ones the council assessed. They show room sizes, window positions and the layout of the estate.
Find the permission on the council's planning register, then find the drawings for your house type. Our guide shows how, step by step: how to find the floor plans and room sizes for a new build.
What's planned around the estate
New estates are often built in phases, and there may be empty land around them. Before you sign, look at:
- later phases of your own development, which may need their own permission
- empty sites nearby and what the development plan zones them for
- any large housing scheme (an LRD) proposed close by
- land set aside for a school, shops or a park that is not built yet
All of this is public. Our guide walks through the council register, the National Planning Application Map and the zoning map: what's planned near a new home.
Flood risk and the estate's drainage plan
Check the OPW's flood maps on floodinfo.ie, the council's flood zone maps, and the drainage plan in the estate's planning file. That plan may include sustainable drainage (SuDS) features, such as swales, filter drains, detention basins and attenuation ponds, which slow and store rainwater (South Dublin County Council).
Step-by-step: how to check flood risk and drainage for an Irish address.
Transport and schools that are planned but not built yet
Many new estates are sold on what is coming: a new station, a bus corridor, a school. A few things to keep apart:
- A scheme with approval (for example, a railway order granted by An Coimisiún Pleanála) is further along than a scheme at consultation stage.
- Land zoned or reserved for a school in a plan is not the same as a school with a building and a date.
- Existing schools near the address are listed on the Department of Education's Find a school service. Whether a place is available depends on each school's admission policy.
Look up the scheme's own project page, and the local area plan for the estate, and note what stage each item is at.
Taken in charge, management companies and service charges
Taken in charge means the council takes over the estate's roads and public areas. Louth County Council, for example, describes it as the local authority assuming "liability and responsibility for the roads, footpaths and public areas" of an estate, including public lighting, water mains and drainage (Louth County Council). The same page notes the council does not maintain open spaces within developments, and that ownership of communal areas does not pass to it.
Management companies. Apartment schemes and other multi-unit developments have an owners' management company that looks after the common areas, paid for by an annual service charge, under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011. The SCSI has a plain guide to apartments and service charges. Ask your solicitor whether your development has one and what the charge covers.
PropertyBuddy does not cover taking in charge or management companies. Your solicitor asks these questions as part of the purchase, and the county council's taking-in-charge section can tell you an estate's status.
Snagging and structural cover
Snagging happens near the end of the build. Use a qualified building surveyor or engineer, and get the snag list to the developer before closing.
Structural cover. Builders can register new homes with a structural defects provider. HomeBond, for example, has provided structural defect cover for new homes in Ireland since 1978. Ask your solicitor which policy applies to your home and what it covers.
Pyrite, mica and build quality are questions for your surveyor or engineer. PropertyBuddy does not cover them.
First-time buyer schemes
Two schemes are aimed at buyers of new homes. We give no advice on them; check eligibility at the source.
- Help to Buy. An incentive for first-time buyers purchasing or self-building a new home (Revenue).
- First Home Scheme. A shared equity scheme from the Government and participating lenders to help bridge the gap between your deposit and mortgage and the price of a new home (First Home Scheme).
Checklist: before you sign contracts on a new build
The house
- Found the estate's planning permission on the council register
- Found the drawings for my house type (floor plans, elevations, site layout)
- Compared the room sizes with the brochure
- Checked which way the garden faces on the site layout
- Asked my solicitor about planning compliance and any later changes to the house type
Around the estate
- Checked later phases of the development
- Checked what nearby empty sites are zoned for
- Searched for live applications, including any LRD, near the estate
- Checked for appeals on An Coimisiún Pleanála
Flood and drainage
- Looked up the address on floodinfo.ie
- Checked the council's flood zone map
- Read the drainage or SuDS report in the planning file
- Got a home insurance quote, including flood cover, for the Eircode
Legal and money
- Solicitor engaged and contract reviewed
- Asked about taking in charge and any management company
- Asked which structural defects cover applies
- Booked a snag surveyor or engineer for before closing
- Checked Help to Buy and First Home eligibility at the source