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Land Registry Maps: How to Resolve Boundary Overlaps and Discrepancies

A practical guide for Irish property owners on what to do when your physical boundaries do not match your Land Registry map.

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What happens when your garden fence is six inches further back than the “red line” on your Land Registry map? Or worse, what if your neighbour’s map overlaps with your own?

In Ireland, mapping discrepancies are remarkably common, especially in older Dublin suburbs. Digitised maps from the Property Registration Authority (PRA) are often based on historical Ordnance Survey maps that don’t perfectly align with modern, high-accuracy GPS surveys.

In this guide, we’ll explain why these overlaps happen and how to fix them without ending up in court.

Why Do Mapping Overlaps Happen?

Most mapping issues in Ireland fall into one of two categories:

1. The Scaling Error

Many older Land Registry maps were created by tracing physical deeds onto a 1:2500 or 1:1000 scale map. At these scales, the thickness of a pen line on the paper could represent several feet on the ground. When these maps were digitised, these “human errors” were baked into the system.

2. The Digitisation Shift

When the PRA moved from paper to digital mapping, the “red line” was often automatically overlaid onto a digital Ordnance Survey map. If the underlying OS map had shifted slightly or had different reference points, the red line might no longer sit exactly on the physical wall.

Common Discrepancy Scenarios

  • The “Missing” Garden: Your physical garden wall is 30 feet long, but the Land Registry map shows it as 28 feet.
  • The “Overhanging” Roof: Your neighbour’s house is registered as being 2 feet closer to the boundary than it actually is.
  • The Mapping Overlap: This is the big one. Two adjoining folios both claim ownership of the same strip of land. This often only comes to light when one party tries to sell or remortgage.

Step 1: The “Non-Conclusive” Rule

Before you panic, remember the General Boundaries Rule (which we cover in our Land Registry Maps Guide).

The Land Registry map is not a conclusive legal record of the boundary. A discrepancy of a few inches or even a couple of feet between the map and the physical wall is usually not a legal disaster — provided both neighbours agree on where the physical wall is.

Step 2: How to Fix a Mapping Overlap

If you are selling your property and your solicitor finds a mapping overlap, you will need to “regularise” the boundary. Here is the process:

  1. Mutual Agreement: Talk to your neighbour. If you both agree that the wall on the ground is the “real” boundary, you can proceed.
  2. Professional Mapping: Hire a Chartered Land Surveyor to create a Land Registry Compliant Map for the corrected area.
  3. Deed of Rectification: Both neighbours sign a simple legal document (a Deed of Rectification) agreeing to the new, accurate map.
  4. Lodge with the PRA: Your solicitor sends the new map and the deed to the Land Registry to update the folios.

Step 3: What if You Can’t Agree?

If your neighbour claims the map is correct and the wall is wrong, things get more complicated.

  • Check the Title Deeds: Find the original “Deed Map” from when the houses were built. This is the primary legal evidence.
  • Mediation: Avoid the courts if at all possible. A specialist property mediator can often resolve these issues for a fraction of the cost of a legal battle.
  • Circuit Court: Only as a last resort. A judge will look at the deeds, the physical evidence (e.g., how long the wall has been there), and the surveyor’s reports to “declare” the boundary.

The Cost of Fixing a Map

  • Surveyor’s Fee: For a PRA-compliant map, expect to pay €500 to €1,500 depending on the complexity of the site.
  • Solicitor’s Fee: For a Deed of Rectification, a typical fee is €800 to €1,500 plus VAT.
  • PRA Fees: The Land Registry charges a small fee (usually around €40 to €130) to update the folio.

While this isn’t cheap, it’s significantly cheaper than losing a property sale because your map is “messy.”

Pro-Tip: “Declarations of Identity”

If you are buying a property in Dublin and the solicitor identifies a minor mapping discrepancy, they may ask for a Declaration of Identity. This is a sworn statement from a surveyor confirming that, in their professional opinion, the house and gardens being sold are the same ones described in the title deeds, even if the Land Registry map is slightly off.

This is a common “workaround” that allows sales to proceed without needing a full Deed of Rectification.

Found a mapping error? Check the prices of similar properties to see if the discrepancy affects the value of your plot. More on Land Registry Maps and Dublin Property Boundaries.