Help-to-Buy / First Home Scheme Review

A Help-to-Buy and First Home Scheme review in Ireland helps first-time buyers understand the scheme paperwork before they sign. A solicitor would review your scheme paperwork and tell you what you are signing. Help-to-Buy and First Home Scheme documents are dense and easy to get wrong, and they can have consequences if you later sell or rent out the property.

You can upload your folio, deeds, contract, photos or other documents through our secure link; a solicitor would then typically review everything before preparing advice. There is no hourly billing: the price is fixed for the service described. Property and land issues are usually easier and cheaper to resolve early, before a sale, mortgage or family transfer is held up. The advice is based on Irish law and practice and on the documents you provide, so the more complete your documents, the more precise the advice can be. If the advice shows that further work is needed, such as correspondence, a Land Registry application or a planning or court process, a solicitor would explain the options and any further cost before anything else is done.

What’s included

• Scheme document review
• Plain-English summary
• Risk flagging
• Recommended next step
• 30-minute call
• Work of this kind is carried out by a solicitor regulated by the Law Society of Ireland. We are not a solicitor’s practice and do not provide it — to instruct a solicitor, use the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory.

Who this is for

• First-time buyers claiming Help-to-Buy
• Buyers using the First Home Scheme
• Buyers combining both schemes
• Buyers unsure what conditions apply after purchase

How it works

1. Find a solicitor through the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory and send them the basic details and any existing documents or correspondence.
2. Complete a short questionnaire about your circumstances.
3. A solicitor would then typically review the documents and prepare written advice.
4. You receive your written advice by email and, where included, a follow-up call to ask questions.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Help-to-Buy or First Home Scheme review cost?

This page is a free guide — nothing on it is for sale. Solicitors set their own fees for this work and must give you a written costs estimate (a section 150 letter) before starting. Get quotes through the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory.

Can Help-to-Buy have to be repaid?

Yes, in some circumstances, such as if the property is not occupied as your home for the required period. The review flags the conditions.

What is the First Home Scheme?

It is a shared equity scheme where the scheme takes a stake in your home in return for funding. The agreement sets out when and how it must be redeemed.

For more on property, land and conveyancing, see our Property & Conveyancing in Ireland guide.

If you would like to be told when solicitor services are available again on this site, you can join our no-fee waiting list. To instruct a solicitor now, use the Law Society of Ireland’s Find a Solicitor directory.