Conveyancing and probate - Taoiseach welcomes progress towards 8-week target for buyers

• over 50% of Expert Group’s recommendations implemented/on track for short-term delivery
• collaboration across professions, industry bodies, and state agencies to improve processing times and experience for those involved in a conveyancing or probate transaction
• work of Group to continue for a further 6 months, to focus on public communications, monitoring progress, further improvements, and implications of first consumer survey

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has today updated government colleagues on the progress made by the Implementation Group on Conveyancing and Probate.

The Group, chaired by an independent Chair, Dr Conan McKenna, and comprising key stakeholders drawn from relevant profession and industry representative bodies, along with government departments and agencies (see note to editors) was established in September 2024 to implement the recommendations of the Expert Group on Conveyancing and Probate.

Substantial progress has been made towards the achievement of the Expert Group’s national target/expectation:

• completion of a conveyancing process within a maximum of 8 weeks from acceptance of offer to closure
• completion of a probate process within a maximum of 8 weeks

Progress achieved to date includes:

• public information pack to improve knowledge of the process, minimise delays and equip home-buyers with the information required to engage efficiently with professional conveyancing services. This will be available shortly on gov.ie to ensure maximum accessibility
• Best Practice Charter, setting out principles of best practice for the main professions involved in the delivery of conveyancing services
• initial baseline survey run by Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to gauge experience of consumers in Conveyancing process
• revised Consumer Protection Code published by Central Bank, requiring banks, retail credit firms and credit servicing firms to provide title deeds within 10 working days of a request
• Options to get more titles registered in the Land Registry more quickly and to expedite the registration of properties/transfer of deeds have also been brought forward
• legislation will be prepared later in the year to support increased use of Statements of Truth to replace certain hard copy affidavits or statutory declarations in the conveyancing process
• greater efficiencies in response times for information requests from the various stakeholders
• development of proposal for a national eConveyancing system
• Courts Service is rolling out a reform programme to the probate process, which has already seen significant reduction in processing times, including the implementation of eProbate from Q3 2025

The work of the Group will continue for the next 6 months, to further progress the recommendations identified by the Expert Group.

Having updated his colleagues on the work of the Implementation Group, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I welcome the progress made by the Implementation Group as we work towards achieving our 8-week conveyancing target and reducing processing times further for probate applications.

“This is important work, which will mean fewer costs and delays for home-buyers, and more homes being made available efficiently on the market.

“We have taken advantage of an opportunity to make significant improvements to these processes, and I look forward to seeing further progress in the months ahead. I would like to thank the Group, led by Dr Conan McKenna, for their most valuable contribution.”

Progress Report (June 2025) of the Implementation Group on Conveyancing and Probate

Report of the Expert Group on Conveyancing and Probate (July 2024)

Membership of the Implementation Group

• Banking and Payments Federation Ireland
• Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
• Courts Service
• Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers
• Legal Services Regulatory Authority
• Law Society of Ireland
• Property Services Regulatory Authority
• Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
• Tailte Éireann
• Department of Justice
• Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage