FAQ's

What are Title Documents?

Title Documents set out who the registered owner of the land or property is. It also gives details of any burdens registered on the property, i.e. right of ways/life interests or mortgages.

What is stamp duty?

Stamp duty is a tax charged on the document that is used in the transfer of the property and it is paid by the purchaser.

What stamp duty reliefs are available?

As a general rule, the following property transactions are exempt from stamp duty:

• Transfers of property between spouses and civil partners
• Transfers of property between former spouses/civil partners under a Court Order following a divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership
• Transfers of property by a cohabitant to his/her cohabitant under a property adjustment order.

What is a BER Certificate?

A BER Certificate or building energy rating certificate is compulsory for all homes and commercial properties being sold or rented regardless of the age of the building. A BER Certificate is a rating of the overall energy efficiency of a building.

What is Ground Rent?

There are many ways you can hold an interest in property. The two main types of ownership of property are leasehold and freehold.

Leasehold interest in a property means that you own just the building subject to a lease and you do not own the land on which the building is built. If you own a leasehold property, you must pay a ground rent to your landlord because he or she owns the ground on which the building is built. The amount of ground rent paid varies and is set out in the original Lease.

Freehold interest in a property means that you own the land and the buildings (if any) on the land. There is no ground rent.

You can buy out ground rent both privately with the Landlord or/and through the Ground Rents Purchase Scheme.