Dublin Property and Mortgage Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the Irish property, mortgage, tax, and scheme terms used across Dublish. Each entry links to the authoritative government or regulator source where available.
Last reviewed . 25 terms.
- APRC — Annual Percentage Rate of Charge
- The total annual cost of a mortgage expressed as a percentage, including the interest rate plus mandatory fees (valuation, legal, insurance where required). Irish lenders must quote APRC alongside the headline rate so borrowers can compare like-for-like. Source: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission →
- BER — Building Energy Rating
- A mandatory energy-performance rating for Irish homes, scored A1 (best) to G (worst). Issued by SEAI-registered assessors. A valid BER must be in place before a property is marketed for sale or let. Dublish aggregates BER data by area to show energy-efficiency premiums in property prices. Source: SEAI — BER Search →
- CAGR — Compound Annual Growth Rate
- The annualised rate at which a value grew, assuming smooth compounding between two points in time. Dublish calculates CAGR between a property’s earliest and most recent full-market sales to show long-run appreciation.
- Central Bank Mortgage Measures
- Macroprudential rules issued by the Central Bank of Ireland that cap how much residential borrowers can take out. The two core limits are LTI (loan-to-income) and LTV (loan-to-value). Lenders may grant a limited share of exceptions. Source: Central Bank of Ireland — mortgage measures →
- Conveyancing
- The legal process of transferring property ownership from seller to buyer. In Ireland this is handled by solicitors and typically takes 8–12 weeks. Fees are usually €1,500–€3,000 plus VAT and outlays (search fees, registration, etc.).
- FHS — First Home Scheme
- An Irish shared-equity scheme where the State takes up to 30% equity in a new-build home (20% if combined with Help to Buy), reducing the mortgage amount required. Service charges apply from year 6. Open to first-time buyers and certain fresh-start applicants within regional price caps. Source: First Home Scheme →
- Fresh Start Applicant
- An applicant category under Help to Buy and First Home Scheme for people who previously owned a home but no longer do, typically following divorce, separation, or insolvency. Fresh-start applicants are treated as first-time buyers for scheme purposes.
- FTB — First-Time Buyer
- A person who has never previously owned or jointly owned a residential property in Ireland or elsewhere. First-time buyers get higher borrowing limits under Central Bank rules (4× income, 90% LTV) and are eligible for Help to Buy and First Home Scheme.
- Full Market Price
- A Property Price Register (PPR) flag indicating a sale was at arm’s length and representative of market value. Sales marked "Not Full Market Price" (gifts, transfers between relatives, executor sales) are excluded from Dublish medians and growth calculations.
- Gross Yield
- Annual rent divided by property price, expressed as a percentage. Dublish calculates area-level gross yield as (RTB median annual rent) / (PPR median sale price). Ignores management fees, maintenance, void periods, and tax — those would give net yield. Source: RTB Rent Index →
- HTB — Help to Buy
- An Irish tax rebate for first-time buyers of new-build homes or self-builds, giving back the lower of 10% of the purchase price, €30,000, or the income tax and DIRT the applicants paid over the previous four tax years. The rebate is applied toward the deposit and the property must be the buyer’s principal private residence for at least five years. Source: Revenue.ie — Help to Buy →
- LPT — Local Property Tax
- An annual tax on Irish residential property based on self-assessed market value, with valuation bands and rates set nationally. Each local council may adjust the basic rate by up to ±15% (the Local Adjustment Factor). All four Dublin councils set the LAF each year. Source: Revenue.ie — LPT →
- LTI — Loan-to-Income
- The ratio of mortgage size to borrower gross annual income. Central Bank of Ireland rules cap LTI at 4× for first-time buyers and 3.5× for non-first-time buyers, with a limited share of exceptions allowed.
- LTV — Loan-to-Value
- The ratio of mortgage size to property purchase price. Central Bank of Ireland rules cap LTV at 90% for first-time buyers (10% deposit minimum) and 80% for non-first-time buyers (20% deposit minimum). Investment properties are typically 70% LTV.
- Mortgage Protection Insurance
- Life cover required by Irish lenders so that the mortgage would be repaid if the borrower dies during the term. Typical cost is €20–€60 per month depending on age, loan size, and health. Separate from home insurance.
- PPR — Property Price Register
- The official public register of residential property sale prices in Ireland since 2010, maintained by the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA). All of Dublish’s price data derives from PPR. Not to be confused with "Principal Private Residence" (a tax term also abbreviated PPR). Source: Property Price Register →
- Principal Private Residence
- A tax concept in Ireland: the home you actually live in as your main residence. Relevant for Capital Gains Tax exemption on sale, Help to Buy eligibility, and certain mortgage products. Unrelated to the Property Price Register despite sharing the "PPR" abbreviation.
- Rent Pressure Zone — RPZ
- An area designated by the Irish government where rent increases are capped (currently at inflation or a fixed percentage, whichever is lower). All of Dublin is within one or more Rent Pressure Zones. Source: RTB — Rent Pressure Zones →
- RTB — Residential Tenancies Board
- The Irish statutory body that registers rental tenancies, publishes rent index data, and arbitrates disputes between landlords and tenants. Dublish uses RTB rent data for yield calculations.
- SEAI — Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
- The Irish agency that administers the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme and energy-efficiency grants (SEAI Home Energy Grants, Better Energy Warmer Homes, etc.). Source: SEAI →
- Stamp Duty
- A transaction tax paid by the buyer on property purchase in Ireland. Residential stamp duty is 1% on the portion of the price up to €1m and 2% on the portion above. Non-residential is 7.5%. Paid to Revenue at closing. Source: Revenue.ie — Stamp Duty →
- Stress Test
- A lender-applied check that a borrower could still afford monthly repayments if interest rates rose by a given margin (commonly +2%). Not a Central Bank requirement — each Irish lender sets its own stress margin, typically between +2% and +3%.
- Tailte Éireann
- Ireland’s land and property agency (formed 2023 from the former Property Registration Authority, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and Valuation Office). Operates the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds, publishes folios and maps, and is authoritative for property boundary and ownership records. Source: Tailte Éireann →