What a relocation agency costs in Ireland

What do relocation agencies charge in Ireland?

We do not know, and neither can anyone who has not asked each agency. In our research of 6 and 7 October 2026 we found no Irish relocation agency that publishes a price list.

What the agencies do publish is the way they sell. One Dublin agency offers half-day packages (no less than 3 hours face to face), full-day packages (no less than 8 hours) and a monthly subscription for ongoing settling-in and integration support, each with a dedicated consultant (agency page). The page shows no prices. That is a time-based model: you buy hours of a person’s time and choose how to spend them.

We give no range, because a range with no source would only be a guess. If you see a figure in a forum or a blog, ask where it comes from.

What would a quote cover?

The same agency lists what you can spend the hours on. It reads like a menu of the first weeks:

• a pre-acceptance orientation tour, and an orientation tour after you arrive;
• accommodation search, including short-term and home rental search, and set-up;
• a school search;
• practical registrations: visa and immigration, PPS number and bank account;
• help for a partner, such as networking and exploring job opportunities;
• departure assistance.

The arrival section of the same page names property viewings, school visits, tenancy management, utility set-up and healthcare options. Treat any list as that agency’s description, not a standard. The steps themselves are explained in the IRP and the PPS number and how to find a flat in Dublin.

Which costs are not the agency’s fee?

Several costs are set by the state and you pay them whether or not you hire an agent.

• IRP registration, where it applies: EUR 300 per person; waived for minors, spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens and some other groups (Immigration Service Delivery).
• Foreign driving licence exchange: EUR 65 (Citizens Information).
• PPS number: the Citizens Information page names no fee (Citizens Information).
• Employment permit: paid by the applicant: employer, employee or an authorised agent (Department of Enterprise).
• Deposit and rent in advance: at most 2 months’ rent in total (Citizens Information).

A quote that bundles any of these should list them as pass-through costs, not as part of the service fee. Ask for them on separate lines.

Do letting agencies charge tenants?

Citizens Information says that accommodation or letting agencies are commercial organisations that help you find private rented accommodation and may charge you a fee. Before you register with one, it advises you to find out whether the agency is licensed, what services it offers and in what circumstances you get a refund, and to keep a receipt for any money you pay (Citizens Information).

The licence is the Property Services Regulatory Authority’s. Its page says all property service providers operating in the Republic of Ireland must hold a PSRA licence, with letting agents in category C, and that using a licensed provider gives you access to a complaints system and a compensation fund for losses caused by a licensee’s dishonesty (PSRA). Our guide on how to choose a relocation agent in Dublin shows how to check a licence.

How does a fee compare with a month’s rent?

Daft.ie’s second-quarter 2026 report, as reported by the Laois Nationalist on 24 August 2026, puts an average two-bedroom apartment at EUR 2,204 a month nationwide (Laois Nationalist). Our arithmetic: two months’ rent, the most a landlord may take upfront, is EUR 4,408 on that average. A fee of one month’s rent would be about EUR 2,204. Use these as a yardstick to size any quote, not as a price, because we have no sourced agency fee to put next to them.

Who usually pays, you or your employer?

Both happen. The agency above says its packages are shaped to the company’s relocation policy. The Department of Enterprise says the employment permit fee is paid by the applicant, which can be the employer (Department of Enterprise). We found no rule that obliges an employer to pay an agency. Ask for the relocation policy in writing before you book anything yourself.

What moves the price of a quote?

Because the model is time, the main drivers are hours and people:

• Hours. A half day, a full day or a month of support. The agency above sets a floor of 3 hours and 8 hours of face-to-face time.
• Scope. A home search alone, or with a school search, registrations and a partner programme.
• Family size. Children add school visits, and more people mean more appointments.
• Where you search. We found no sourced price for a search in Dublin, Cork, Galway or Limerick, so we cannot say whether the city changes the fee.
• Speed. Daft.ie reported fewer than 1,150 homes to rent in Dublin on 1 August 2026, down 18% on the year (Laois Nationalist). A tight market lengthens a search, and a time-based fee grows with it.

What can you do yourself for free?

A lot of the work an agency sells can be done without one, at the price of your time. The registration and the PPS number are your own applications either way. Citizens Information, a public information service, runs a phone service on 0818 07 4000 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm, and publishes the rules for renting, deposits and rental scams (Citizens Information). It names Threshold as a source of advice on landlord and tenant issues. Its scam advice is concrete: inspect the property in person, do not rely on online videos or photos, avoid cash and wire transfers, ask for a written contract and take your time.

That last point matters for the decision. If you cannot arrive early to view in person, someone who can view for you is worth something. If you can, the main thing an agent adds is speed and access. Our guide on how to find a flat in Dublin lays out the steps to do it yourself.

How do you make two quotes comparable?

1. How many hours does the price cover, and what happens when they run out?
2. Is it face-to-face time, or does preparation count?
3. Which items are included, in writing, from the list above?
4. Which costs are pass-through: government fees, deposits, school fees?
5. Is VAT added, and when is each payment due?
6. What is refunded if no home is found?
7. What is the PSRA licence number of the business and of the person who will search?

To compare agencies for your move, get matched or open the Ireland directory. How we rank explains the order. For the order of the whole move, see moving to Ireland: your first weeks, in order.

What we could not source

We found no published price from any Irish agency, so this guide has no range. We did not find a published hourly or day rate, a success fee, or the fee a letting agency charges a tenant. The Daft.ie figure is from a newspaper report, and the agency page we read is a marketing page that may change. Prices will be added once agencies share price lists.