Official Land Registry Document
Registry of Deeds Search Ireland
Registry of Deeds Search Ireland
Quick Answer
A Registry of Deeds search finds the deeds affecting unregistered property in Ireland, using the Registry of Deeds maintained by the Property Registration Authority. It is the record to search where a property has never been registered in the Land Registry and so has no folio. Unregistered land is most common in older holdings and in the west and border counties, where a chain of deeds rather than a folio proves the title.
The Registry of Deeds records the deeds affecting unregistered property in Ireland, and it is maintained by the Property Registration Authority alongside the Land Registry. This page explains when a Registry of Deeds search is the right record, what it finds, and how it differs from a Land Registry folio search.
Key Facts
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What Is This Document
Ireland runs two parallel property registers, both maintained by the Property Registration Authority. The Land Registry is a register of title organised by folio, while the Registry of Deeds records the deeds affecting unregistered land. A Registry of Deeds search is the record to use where a property has never been registered and so has no folio.
The Registry of Deeds does not guarantee title. It records memorials of deeds — summaries lodged when a deed is executed — indexed by the parties and the land, so that the chain of deeds affecting an unregistered property can be traced. Establishing good title from that chain is work for a solicitor reading the deeds themselves.
A search establishes what deeds have been lodged against an unregistered property or in the name of a party, returning the memorial references needed to obtain the deeds. It is the starting point for investigating title to unregistered land, for genealogical and historical research, and for confirming a chain before a sale.
Unregistered property is now the exception nationally, but it remains significant in older family holdings and across the west and border counties, where compulsory registration reached the land comparatively late. A Land Registry search that returns no folio is the signal that the Registry of Deeds is the record to search instead, an outcome that is routine rather than exceptional in those areas.
Where a property is in fact registered, the Registry of Deeds is not the right record: the folio is, and a Folio Search reads it. Many enquiries begin in the wrong register, so confirming whether a property is registered is the first practical step before ordering a deeds search, and a Property Ownership Search settles that question from the address.
Which Document Do I Need
Not sure whether the Registry of Deeds is the right record? Use this guide:
| Situation | Recommended Document |
|---|---|
| Search deeds affecting an unregistered property | Registry of Deeds Search |
| Check whether a property is registered and find its folio | Property Ownership Search |
| Read the registered title where a folio exists | Folio Search |
| Research the history of a property or holding | Historical Property Records |
| Obtain certified proof of a registered title | Certified Folio |
If you are unsure, our team can advise before you order — email info@landregistryonline.ie.
What Information Is Included
Deed memorials: the summaries of deeds lodged against the property or party searched.
Memorial references: the identifiers needed to obtain copies of the deeds.
Parties to the deeds: the grantors and grantees named in each memorial.
Nature of the transaction: the type of dealing each deed records.
Land description: the description of the unregistered property as lodged.
Next-step guidance: which deeds to obtain to trace the chain of title.
A guarantee of title — the Registry of Deeds records deeds, it does not certify ownership.
The registered title of a registered property — that is a Folio Search [/folio-search/].
A folio, because unregistered property has none — confirm registration with a Property Ownership Search [/property-ownership-search/].
Interpretation of the deeds, which is work for a solicitor reading them in full.
Why People Order
Tracing title to unregistered land
Solicitors and owners investigating an unregistered holding search the Registry of Deeds to establish the chain of deeds affecting it, obtaining the memorials that identify each dealing in the property's history.
Acting where a Land Registry search found no folio
A Land Registry search that returns no folio confirms a property is unregistered. The Registry of Deeds is then the record to search, and it picks up the title where the Land Registry has nothing to show.
Preparing to sell unregistered property
Selling unregistered property means proving title through the deeds. A Registry of Deeds search assembles the chain a buyer's solicitor will investigate, so the sale is not delayed by gaps discovered late.
Researching a property's history
Genealogists and historians use the Registry of Deeds to follow ownership of a property or family holding over time, since the memorials record dealings long before the Land Registry existed.
Investigating older family holdings
Family land in the west and border counties is frequently unregistered. A Registry of Deeds search establishes what deeds have been lodged, which is the starting point for regularising the title.
Confirming a chain before registration
Where unregistered land is to be registered for the first time, the chain of deeds must be established. A search identifies the deeds needed to support a first registration application.
Real World Use Cases
Home Buyers
A buyer purchasing unregistered property relies on the deeds, not a folio, to prove title. Understanding the Registry of Deeds helps a buyer see why their solicitor investigates a chain of deeds and what a gap in that chain would mean.Sellers
Owners selling unregistered property use a Registry of Deeds search to assemble the chain of deeds a buyer's solicitor will require, so the title is ready to investigate before the property goes on the market.Solicitors
Solicitors investigating unregistered title work from the Registry of Deeds, tracing the memorials and reading the deeds behind them. It is essential where compulsory first registration has not yet brought a holding into the Land Registry.Investors
Investors acquiring unregistered land use the deeds record to understand the chain of title and any risks before committing, particularly where a holding has passed within a family without formal dealings.Developers
Developers assembling sites that include unregistered parcels search the Registry of Deeds to establish title to each, since unregistered ground must be dealt with through the deeds before a scheme can proceed. A single unregistered strip with an unclear chain can hold up an otherwise ready site, so the deeds are checked early.
Land Registry Context
The Registry of Deeds is the older of Ireland's two property registers, established long before the Land Registry, and it records deeds affecting unregistered land. It is maintained by the Property Registration Authority, which also maintains the Land Registry, so the two systems sit side by side and a property belongs to one or the other.
Registration has expanded over the decades to the point where most property that has changed hands is now in the Land Registry and identified by a folio. The Registry of Deeds handles what remains outside that system: older holdings, family land that has passed without dealings, and property in areas where compulsory registration arrived comparatively late.
That remaining unregistered land is not evenly spread. It is concentrated in the west and border counties — Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Cavan and parts of Galway and Roscommon — where drumlin farms, commonage and long-held family ground were slower to register. In such counties a deeds search is a routine rather than an exceptional step.
The Registry of Deeds records memorials, not title. A memorial is a summary lodged when a deed is executed, indexed by the parties and the land, so the chain of deeds can be traced. Good title is established by a solicitor reading the deeds themselves, using the search to find them rather than to prove ownership.
The most common error is searching the wrong register. Where a property is registered, the folio is definitive and a Registry of Deeds search finds nothing useful; where it is unregistered, the folio does not exist and only the deeds record applies. Confirming whether a property is registered is therefore the sensible first step before a deeds search, and it is quickly done with a Property Ownership Search that either returns a folio or shows there is none.
Common Mistakes
Searching the Registry of Deeds for a registered property
Where a property is registered, its title is the folio, and the deeds record has nothing useful to add. Confirm registration first, and where a folio exists read it with a Folio Search. Order a Folio Search — — /folio-search/.
Expecting the Registry of Deeds to prove ownership
The Registry of Deeds records deeds; it does not guarantee title. A search finds the memorials and the deeds behind them, but establishing good title from that chain is work for a solicitor reading the deeds in full.
Assuming a no-folio result is a dead end
A Land Registry search returning no folio confirms a property is unregistered, which is a meaningful result. It shows the title lives in the Registry of Deeds and points the enquiry to the record that applies.
Relying on an old search
Deeds continue to be lodged, and an older search may miss a recent memorial. Where a decision or a sale turns on the current position, carry the search out close to when it is needed rather than relying on one obtained earlier in the matter, since a dealing lodged in the interval would not appear.
When Not Sufficient
A Registry of Deeds search finds the deeds, but a title enquiry often needs more. Where a property turns out to be registered, order a Folio Search [/folio-search/] to read the folio, or a Property Ownership Search [/property-ownership-search/] to confirm registration and find it. For research into a property's history, Historical Property Records [/historical-property-records/] draw the picture together. And for certified proof of a registered title, a Certified Folio [/certified-folio/] is the document that carries that standing.
How To Order
Send the address and any description of the unregistered property, together with the names of the parties where you are searching by owner, and a note of what you are trying to establish — a chain of title, a first-registration application, or historical research.
Where you are not sure whether the property is registered, we can confirm that first with a Property Ownership Search and then search the register that applies, so you are not paying to search the wrong record.
Turnaround & Delivery
Delivery time:
The result of a Registry of Deeds search is sent to you by email, setting out the memorials found and the references needed to obtain the deeds. Where the property proves to be registered instead, a Folio Search or Certified Folio for the same property can be ordered straight away.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I search the Registry of Deeds rather than the Land Registry?
Search the Registry of Deeds where a property is unregistered and so has no folio, which is common for older holdings and land in the west and border counties. Where a property is registered, the Land Registry folio is the record instead, read with a Folio Search.
Does a Registry of Deeds search prove who owns a property?
Not on its own. The Registry of Deeds records deeds rather than guaranteeing title, so a search finds the memorials and the deeds behind them. Good title is established by a solicitor reading those deeds and tracing the chain they form.
How do I know if a property is unregistered?
A Land Registry search that returns no folio confirms a property is unregistered. Because searching the wrong register wastes time, it is worth confirming registration first, after which the correct record — the folio or the deeds — can be searched.
How far back do the records go?
The Registry of Deeds is long established and records deeds lodged over a very long period, which is why it is valuable for historical and genealogical research as well as for current title work. A search identifies the memorials relevant to the property or party you are investigating.
How will I receive the result?
The result is sent to you by email, setting out the memorials found and the references needed to obtain copies of the deeds. Where the property proves to be registered, we can point you to the Land Registry records instead.
Can you search the whole country?
Yes. The Registry of Deeds is a national record maintained by the Property Registration Authority, so a search covers unregistered property anywhere in Ireland. To order a Registry of Deeds search, use the order link on this page.
Search the Registry of Deeds in Ireland
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Property Records Editorial Team
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