The notary

Why every home purchase goes through a notary

Buying a home can feel finished the moment the purchase agreement is signed. It is not. The property only becomes yours once the notary has arranged the transfer of ownership and the deed of transfer has been registered at the Land Registry.

In the Netherlands that notary is a civil-law notary, and their involvement is required by law. They check that everything stacks up legally and financially, so the property ends up in your name.

What does the notary actually do?

Buying an existing home usually involves two deeds.

The deed of transfer

This is the one that moves the property from the seller to you. Once it is registered at the Land Registry, you are the legal owner.

The mortgage deed

If you are taking out a mortgage, a second deed is drawn up alongside it, recording that the property serves as security for the loan. No mortgage, no mortgage deed.

Drawing up the deeds is only part of it. Before the transfer, the notary establishes who owns the property, whether any mortgages or other restrictions sit on it, and whether the money adds up. They also make sure the funds from you, the seller and the lender reach the right party at the right moment.

We often know who still has room

The date you are due at the notary is usually written into the purchase agreement. In a busy stretch, finding an office with room at short notice is not always easy.

We work with notaries across Tilburg and the surrounding area, so we tend to know who can still fit you in. That helps us find you one who works to your timeline.

It saves you a few phone calls. And when you are buying a house, there are plenty of those already.

What else can you settle at the notary?

The two deeds are part of the purchase itself. But buying a home is also a sensible moment to put a few other things on a proper footing.

Cohabitation agreement

Buying together with a partner, without being married or in a registered partnership? Then a cohabitation agreement, in Dutch a samenlevingscontract, can matter a great deal. It sets down what you have agreed about the property, the costs, and what happens if you separate.

Will

A home of your own, a joint mortgage and perhaps children make it worth thinking about what happens if one of you dies. A will can settle much of that.

Survivorship clause

For partners living together, a survivorship clause, in Dutch a verblijvingsbeding, can make sure that jointly owned assets, the home among them, pass to whoever is left. Whether it suits your situation depends on your circumstances, personal and legal.

None of this is automatic with every purchase. But buying is often a natural moment to look at it properly, and the notary can tell you what makes sense for you.

What does a notary cost?

Fees vary by office and by situation. As a guide, for an average purchase count on around €1,000 for the deed of transfer and €1,000 for the mortgage deed.

The Land Registry filing fees and any extra work come on top of that.

So if you are buying with a mortgage, a reasonable guide is around €2,100 to €2,300 in notary fees.

• Deed of transfer: around €1,000
• Mortgage deed: around €1,000
• Land Registry and other costs: around €100 to €300

Many offices offer a combined rate when both deeds are drawn up in the same place, which can bring the total below what the two would cost separately.

Want a cohabitation agreement or a will drawn up as well? Those come on top. Arranging them at the same time as the transfer often works out cheaper.

Always ask for the full rate up front. Then you know exactly what you are paying for.

Who picks the notary?

When you buy an existing home, you as the buyer usually get to choose. So it is worth weighing more than price alone: how easy the office is to reach, how they work, and when they can fit you in.

New-build is often different. There the developer has usually appointed a project notary.

Where we come in

The notary is responsible for the legal transfer. We make sure the money side lines up with it.

• The timing of the transfer. We work back from the agreed completion date and from where your mortgage stands.
• Finding a notary. If you have not settled on one, we can point you to offices in Tilburg and nearby that suit your situation and your dates.
• The preparation. We make sure the mortgage details and documents reach the right parties in good time.
• Coordinating with the notary. When questions come up about the financing or the paperwork, we help clear them quickly.
• The last step to the keys. We keep an eye on the process so your mortgage and the transfer arrive together.

The notary handles the legal side. We make sure you turn up financially ready.

Questions about the notary or the handover?

Buying a home takes a lot of steps. The notary is one of them, and an important one.

We do not just arrange your mortgage. We look at the whole run-up to the purchase, from the first conversation to the moment you are sitting at the notary with the keys in reach.

Book a no-obligation consultation with us, an independent mortgage advisor in Tilburg.