Modular home planning checklist for Irish buyers

Define the real use

Write down who will occupy the unit, whether it will be a main home, family accommodation, a long-term rental, short-term accommodation or a non-habitable room. Planning follows the actual use, not the supplier's product label.

Fix the site and ownership facts

Record the address, folio or mapped site, owner, principal resident and relationship between the proposed unit and the main house. Owning land does not itself grant permission to live on it.

Retrieve the planning history

Collect the permissions, drawings and conditions for the main property. Identify every existing shed, garage, cabin, extension or prior subdivision and establish the planning basis for each one.

Measure before selecting a model

• Proposed internal and total floor area
• Existing garden structures that may count toward a cap
• Private open space remaining after development
• Height, roof type and boundary distances
• Access route, delivery width, crane position and service route

Get the planning route in writing

Use current legislation, local-authority guidance and a competent planning professional. Where exemption remains uncertain, consider a Section 5 declaration. A supplier's email or sales brochure is not a planning determination.

Name the Irish compliance team

Planning exemption does not remove Building Regulations or Building Control duties. Record who is responsible for design, structural review, energy, fire safety, commencement documentation, inspection and the completion record.

Match supplier documents to the Irish project

Before deposit, ask for model-specific drawings, structure, insulation and airtightness data, fire information, product declarations, foundation loads, services, delivery dimensions, installation scope, warranty process and permission to adapt the design where required.