Remortgage Costs and Fees in Ireland

Every euro a remortgage involves: professional fees, outlays, and the items people forget.

The cost of a remortgage has three layers: the solicitor's professional fee, the outlays (third-party costs paid out on your behalf), and your own incidental costs such as the valuation. Because the property is not changing hands, there is no stamp duty on the switch itself, and the total legal cost of a remortgage is a fraction of the cost of a purchase.

Under section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, your solicitor must give you a written notice of the fees and likely outlays before or as soon as practicable after taking instructions. You should never be guessing what a remortgage will cost — ask for the section 150 letter up front, and we provide one as standard.

The solicitor's professional fee

Most firms charge a fixed professional fee for a standard remortgage, reflecting the defined scope of the work: taking up deeds, investigating and certifying title, drafting and completing the mortgage documents, redeeming the old loan and registering the new charge. VAT at the standard rate applies to professional fees.

The fee assumes a standard transaction. Complications that expand the work — title defects needing rectification, unregistered title requiring first registration, second charges, family law dimensions, or a transfer of equity bundled into the remortgage — are additional, and a good section 150 letter tells you in advance what triggers extra fees and how they are calculated.

Outlays: the third-party costs

Outlays are amounts your solicitor pays out for you and recoups at cost. On a typical remortgage they include:

Tailte Éireann (Land Registry) fee for registering the new charge — currently €175 for a charge, at the time of writing
Land Registry fees for copy folios and title plans ordered during the investigation
Law searches on the property and the borrowers, carried out by law searchers before completion
Commissioner for Oaths fees where declarations must be sworn independently
Bank fees, if any, charged by the old lender for deeds handling on some accounts

Your own costs outside the legal file

The new lender will require a valuation from its panel valuer, paid by you, and valuations expire, so time it against your expected drawdown. Mortgage protection cover must be in place — if you are older or have had health issues since your last policy, price this early, because new cover can cost more than the policy you already have (which can often be assigned instead of replaced). Home insurance must note the new lender's interest, usually at no extra premium.

If you are on a fixed rate, a break funding fee may apply on early redemption — see our switching lender guide. And if the remortgage raises funds for works, remember the works have their own professional costs (engineer, planning, certificates) which the lender may want evidenced.

How cashback changes the arithmetic

Several lenders pay cashback to switchers on drawdown. Where the cashback exceeds your total legal fees, outlays and valuation — which is common on standard cases — the switch is cash-positive on day one, and the rate saving is pure gain thereafter.

The right way to compare is: total switching cost, minus cashback, divided by monthly saving — giving your break-even month. Our Remortgage Savings Calculator does that calculation on your own figures, entirely on your device.

What is not payable on a remortgage

No stamp duty is payable on the mortgage or on switching lender — stamp duty on mortgage deeds was abolished years ago, and no ownership is transferring. There is no estate agent, no auctioneer and no purchase-style search against a vendor. If ownership is changing as part of the transaction (a transfer of equity), different considerations arise, including possible stamp duty and capital tax questions on which we do not advise — your accountant or Revenue should be consulted on tax.

Frequently asked questions

What is a section 150 letter?

A written notice required by section 150 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 setting out the solicitor's fees, or how they will be calculated, plus likely outlays and VAT, given at the outset of the matter. Ask for it before you commit.

Is stamp duty payable when I switch my mortgage?

No. Switching lender does not transfer ownership and no stamp duty arises on the mortgage. Stamp duty questions only enter the picture if ownership is being transferred at the same time.

Who pays the Land Registry fee?

You do, as an outlay through your solicitor. Registering the new charge currently costs €175 at Tailte Éireann, with small additional amounts for copy folios and mapping ordered during the title investigation.

Are legal fees higher for equity release or transfer of equity?

Usually yes, because the scope is wider — a transfer deed, additional declarations, possibly lender consent issues and family law documents. The section 150 letter should price the actual transaction you are doing, not a generic remortgage.

Can the cashback be paid to my solicitor?

Cashback is normally paid by the lender directly to your own account after drawdown under the terms of the offer. It is separate from the loan funds that pass through your solicitor to redeem the old mortgage.

Talk to a remortgage solicitor

Mary Molloy Solicitors acts for homeowners and property owners across Ireland on remortgages, switches, top-ups and transfers of equity. All enquiries are handled through our Dublin office.

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.