Guidelines to Land Registration in Ireland

Presented by Proinnsias Ó Cillín BL, BSc (IT), MSc, Land Registration Consultant

1. Changing Times

2. Popular Queries

3. Avoiding Queries

4. Fundamental Mistakes

5. The NCT Attitude

6. Solicitors' Exposure

7. Required Certification of Title

8. Qualified Title

9. Conversion of Title

10. Adverse Possession

11. Documentary First Registration

12. More Changes Coming

6. Solicitors Exposure

Solicitors who think that they can rely on the Land Registry to specify requirements are deluding themselves.

A solicitor has university education, professional training and years of experience.  He has the professional responsibility of deciding what registration is required in order to protect his client’s interest.  If he gets it wrong and submits for a registration that does not adequately protect his client, he is exposed to a claim for professional negligence.

When he submits a dealing to the Land Registry, the case is usually examined by an Executive Officer who is not required to have any legal or university education, (although I understand that nowadays most if not all have 3rd level education) and might have only a few months’ training and experience in Land Registration.  His job is not to advise a solicitor as to what registration is required, but to check that all the technical requirements are present for the registration applied for.

A solicitor can only rely on the Land Registry to specify the technicalities required for a registration and not to advise on whether the proposed registration is in the client’s interest.

The Rejection of  a Dealing can expose a solicitor to risk, since the Dealing loses priority. 

A typical example is a transfer of part that was rejected, and a transfer of the entire Folio, (intended to be a transfer of the residue), was lodged before re-lodgment of the transfer of part, which then is required to be re-executed by the new registered owner.

It is advisable, therefore, to avoid rejections by getting it right first time and checking that all necessary proofs are included when lodging dealings.

Proinnsias Ó Cillín

Land Registration Forum

Societal Information System (project 1997 - 1999)

Solicitors: Assistance with Land Registry applications: E-mail me at killeens@indigo.ie
History of Land Registration in Ireland

History of Land Tenure in Ireland

Demonstration: Land Registration system of the Future?

A Model for Land Registration in the Information Age

Thesis by Proinnsias Ó Cillín (€35):