Who owns this site? Finding the owner of land in Ireland for €5

About 90% of the land in Ireland is registered with Tailte Éireann's Land Registry, which is 85% of titles. For registered land the owner's name is on the folio, and a plain copy costs €5 on landdirect.ie. Once you have the boundary of a registered site, finding the owner takes minutes.

Looking at a house for sale rather than a site? The folio search works the same way, but the owner is the seller and the estate agent is the way to them: Cara, our app for home buyers, writes to the agent for you and keeps track of viewings and bids.

Registered land: the folio

1. Open landdirect.ie and search the map by address or by moving to the location. Searching the map is free.
2. Click the parcel to get its folio number. A site is often several parcels on several folios: check each part of the boundary.
3. Buy the folio. A plain copy is €5 and has no map; a certified copy with the map is €40. The certified copy is the one for legal use.

A folio has three parts. Part 1 describes the property, Part 2 names the registered owners, and Part 3 lists the burdens: mortgages and charges, rights of way, and similar. Part 3 matters to a buyer: a bank's charge on the folio tells you who else has a say in a sale.

Don't pay a reseller

Tailte Éireann has warned that a number of websites sell folio copies at a mark-up. They are not affiliated to Tailte Éireann and have no direct access to the register, and they charge more than the €5 fee. Buy on landdirect.ie.

Unregistered land: the Registry of Deeds

The other 10% or so of land is unregistered, and its title sits in deeds. The Registry of Deeds is searched mainly by the name of a previous owner (the grantor), so you need a name to start. An official search costs €20 per name for each 10-year period.

Other ways to a name

• The planning file. An applicant who does not own the land must give the owner's name and address on the application form (Planning and Development Regulations 2001, article 22). Planning Register has the planning files for Dublin applications.
• Council notices. A s.183 disposal notice names the person the council is selling to. See council land.
• The company. If the folio names a company, its registered office and directors are on the Companies Registration Office's public register.

Before you write to the owner

A letter that shows you know the site gets further than "are you selling?". Name the folio, the boundary and the public reason (the permission that lapses in March, the register entry) and say what you would do with the land. A signal on the map plus the folio is enough to write it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out who owns a piece of land in Ireland?

Find the parcel on the landdirect.ie map (free), then buy a plain copy of the folio for €5. Part 2 of the folio names the registered owner.

How much does a folio cost?

€5 for a plain copy with no map, €40 for a certified copy with the map, from Tailte Éireann on landdirect.ie.

What if the land isn't registered?

Search the Registry of Deeds by the name of a previous owner. An official search costs €20 per name for each 10-year period.