An estate agency can earn sales commission, letting fees, management income or auction fees, but these activities are regulated property services in Ireland. Registering an LTD gives the business a legal entity. It does not give the company or its people permission to act as estate agents, letting agents, auctioneers or property managers.
The right launch sequence is to define the exact services, confirm that a principal officer satisfies the qualification route, form the intended applicant company, arrange the required insurance and financial evidence, and obtain the Property Services Regulatory Authority licence before providing regulated services. This guide connects those steps without treating a CRO certificate as a substitute for a PSRA decision.
- Estate agency
- Licence B
- Letting agency
- Licence C
- Business licence fee
- EUR1,380
- Compensation fund
- EUR200
Choose the service before forming the agency
Do not begin with a broad label such as property company. List what customers will pay the business to do. Selling residential or commercial property, arranging lettings, managing an owners' management company and auctioning personal property sit in different PSRA categories. A firm may need one category or a combination.
This decision affects the principal officer's qualification evidence, employee licensing, professional indemnity insurance, accountant's report, operating procedures and marketing. It also prevents a new agency from advertising a service that its licence does not cover. Property investment for the company's own account is different from providing a property service to another person, but mixed business models should be reviewed carefully.
| Category | Typical service | Commercial example |
|---|---|---|
| A | Auction of property other than land | Auctioning art, machinery or household contents |
| B | Purchase or sale of land | Residential or commercial estate agency |
| C | Letting of land | Finding tenants and arranging tenancies |
| D | Property management services | Managing developments or properties for owners |
Form the LTD that will apply for the business licence
An Irish private company limited by shares is a common structure because the company can hold the agency contract, employ licensed staff, lease premises, own systems and receive fees. Its name should not suggest regulatory approval before that approval exists. If the agency trades under a brand different from its legal company name, the business name may also need CRO registration.
Prepare the director, secretary, shareholder, registered-office and principal-place-of-business details consistently. The PSRA application for a company requires corporate documents, including a suitably recent duplicate Certificate of Incorporation. StartCompany.ie can establish a straightforward Irish LTD from EUR240, including the CRO fee and core formation documents. That affordable formation stage should be completed early enough to support the licence application, insurance quotation and bank-account process.
- Confirm the legal company name and any separate trading name.
- Appoint the directors, secretary and shareholders before licence paperwork is prepared.
- Use an Irish registered office that can reliably receive legal and regulatory correspondence.
- Keep the CRO record consistent with the people described as principal officers.
Prove that a principal officer meets the qualification route
For a company or partnership application, the PSRA states that a principal officer or partner must provide the qualifying evidence. The available routes include an appropriate academic qualification, an equivalent overseas qualification, lawful relevant experience for at least three of the previous five years, or another combination that the Authority accepts as suitable.
The 2026 qualification rules identify relevant subjects and credit ranges for the licence categories. A membership badge or general property experience should not be assumed to satisfy them. Obtain the academic transcript, employer confirmations, earlier licences and other evidence before spending heavily on premises or advertising. The Authority, not the incorporation agent, decides whether the evidence meets its standard.
Budget for the PSRA business and individual licences
The current PSRA FAQ states a EUR1,380 licence fee for a company, partnership or sole trader, plus a EUR200 contribution to the Property Services Compensation Fund. Principal officers and employees have separate licence fees and fund contributions. Check the live fee schedule before applying because rates and forms can change.
A business application also calls for the prescribed accountant's report and evidence of professional indemnity insurance. The company should budget for compliance advice, accounting, secure client-money procedures, identity checks, property software, data protection, advertising and staff licensing. A low company-formation price is useful, but it is only one line in the agency launch budget.
Build client-money, engagement and data controls before launch
Agency businesses handle deposits, rent, sales information, identity documents and access to homes. Separate client money from operating cash and reconcile it frequently. Define who can release funds, change bank details, approve refunds and amend vendor or landlord instructions. Email compromise and payment-redirection fraud should be treated as operational risks from the first transaction.
The PSRA requires the appropriate Property Services Agreement in the prescribed form within the required period after starting the service. Match the agreement to the licence category and explain fees, expenses, duration, termination and conflicts clearly. Privacy notices, retention rules, access permissions and incident-response procedures should cover applicants, tenants, buyers, sellers, landlords and contractors.
- Use dual approval for changes to client bank details.
- Reconcile client accounts independently from sales commission records.
- Record keys, access codes and property viewings.
- Verify marketing claims, floor areas and material property information.
- Keep signed engagement agreements and fee approvals easy to retrieve.
Model the agency economics before signing a lease
Sales commission is irregular and can arrive months after the work begins. Letting fees may be faster but require a reliable pipeline, while management income is recurring and operationally intensive. Build a monthly model using realistic instructions, conversion rates, average fee, cancellation rate and payment delay rather than headline local property prices.
Include portal subscriptions, photography, signs, travel, premises, insurance, licence renewals, payroll, software, accountant fees and marketing. Decide how much working capital the company needs if several agreed sales collapse. A small office can still carry a serious fixed-cost base, so validate the instruction pipeline before choosing a prestige address.
Estate and letting agency launch checklist
Sequence the work so that incorporation supports licensing and licensing supports trading. Do not provide a regulated property service or imply that the firm is authorised until the relevant licences are effective and visible on the public register.
- Define the A, B, C or D services the agency will provide.
- Confirm the principal officer's qualification or experience evidence.
- Form the Irish LTD and register any separate business name.
- Prepare the accountant's report, insurance and financial documents.
- Submit the company and individual applications through psralicences.ie.
- Set up engagement agreements, client-money controls and GDPR records.
- Verify every relevant licence on the PSRA register before trading.
- Launch with measured marketing, cash forecasting and renewal reminders.
Establish the applicant company first
Form your Irish agency LTD from EUR240
StartCompany.ie includes the CRO fee and core company documents in the Basic package. You can then use the incorporated company for its separate PSRA, insurance, banking and tax applications.
Official sources used for this guide
- PSRA: applying for a new licence
- PSRA: licensing FAQs and current fees
- PSRA: property services agreements
- Irish Statute Book: 2026 qualification regulations
Rules, fees and programmes can change. Check the current official guidance and obtain advice for the company's actual circumstances before acting.