What Is a Certificate of Title?
22 January 2026 · Mary Molloy Solicitors
Every Irish residential mortgage rests on a document most borrowers never see: the solicitor's certificate of title. It is the reason your lender does not send its own solicitors to investigate your house, and the reason your solicitor asks so many questions about that extension.
One solicitor instead of two
Under the system agreed between the Law Society and the lending institutions, the borrower's solicitor investigates the title and certifies to the lender that it is good and marketable and that the lender's mortgage will rank as a first legal charge. The lender advances the money in reliance on that certificate rather than duplicating the work — keeping residential conveyancing costs to a single set of fees.
What is being certified
The certificate covers the substance of a full title investigation: ownership as registered, planning and building control status of the property and its alterations, absence of undisclosed burdens and charges, family home compliance, and the results of the closing searches. It is given on the Law Society's approved form, and qualifications to it must be agreed with the lender — a certificate is not a place for quiet exceptions.
Why it matters to you
Because the certificate must be true, the investigation is real. When your solicitor asks for the compliance certificate for the attic conversion or chases an old unreleased charge, that is the certificate of title at work — and it is protective in both directions. The same diligence that satisfies the lender means that when you eventually sell, the title has already been proofed against the questions a purchaser's solicitor will ask.
Read more in our main guide: The Remortgage Process in Ireland, Step by Step · or back to the blog.
This page contains general information about Irish law and practice. It is not legal advice, it may not reflect your circumstances, and reading it does not create a solicitor–client relationship with Mary Molloy Solicitors. We do not advise on taxation; please speak to your accountant or Revenue. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.