Your property questions answered

Where do I get guidance on buying with a friend?

I hope to buy an apartment with a friend (my current flatmate). Our repayments won't be much more than our rent. We know we should get everything clear and in writing before we actually go ahead with the deal but where do we get guidance about that?

Buying with a friend is an increasingly popular option for obvious reasons but there are pit falls. You appear to be avoiding the most common ones - you are living together, so you know that you are compatible and you want to get it all down in writing before going ahead. Your solicitor should be able to advise you on the areas you need to cover and they, broadly speaking, concern what happens when one of you wants to move on or when one of you can't afford to pay your bills.

Your solicitor may be proactive enough to have on file a template of a typical document - hopefully your solicitor is also encouraging you to come up with such a written agreement - if not, there is a good one on www.askaboutmoney.com, the excellent personal finance website.

It details the nuts and bolts of an agreement right down to who pays for the furniture and so on, and the ongoing general maintenance. If nothing else, just going through such a document might be a wake-up call to people who blindly go into joint ownership, making them realise how serious a step it is.

Unmarried couples might also think of signing such a document. While such documents aren't legally binding, they do signal the intent of the parties upon purchase and this will be significant if it all goes pear-shaped. One solicitor - obviously the belt and braces type - also advises that engaged couples come up with an agreement very early in the process, especially where it's a new apartment where there can be long periods between paying the deposit and actually completing the sale.

Paid off my mortgage but unsure what to do next

I have finished paying off my mortgage and have received quite a substantial amount of documents from the building society. I understand from the details supplied that I am supposed to lodge something to show that I have paid off the mortgage but I am unsure what to do?

One of the many pieces of paper you would have received is called a Deed of Discharge - this will be clearly marked on the document. The purpose of this document is to show that you have paid up and there is now no mortgage owing on the property.

You should contact your local Land Registry Office (you don't say where you are, so consult your local phone book for the nearest one to you).

You'll need to get a form called an Application for Registration (there is a registration fee of €25) and this will let you lodge the Deed of Discharge with the Land Registry. If in the bundle of documents there was also a Land Certificate, you can also lodge this with the Land Registry. Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.