The notary when buying a house: costs and the handover of the keys

What you pay the notary when buying a house

Buying a house involves more than the buying support. Alongside the guidance from your dedicated agent you need a notary, and the notary sends their own invoice. Those are the notary fees for buying a house.

Those costs usually consist of two parts. There is the transfer deed (akte van levering), which officially puts the home in your name. If you take out a mortgage, there is also a mortgage deed, with which the bank records its right to the property. Both deeds are signed at the same notary, usually on the same day: the day of the handover of the keys.

Notaries do not work with a fixed national tariff. Each notary sets their own price. So it pays to compare the rates of a few notaries before you choose. What you pay depends on the notary and on whether a mortgage deed is needed as well.

You also pay transfer tax: a percentage of the purchase price, set by the tax authority and depending on your situation. That too runs through the notary, who pays the amount on your behalf. Transfer tax is separate from the notary fees, but appears on the same settlement statement.

What is and is not in the fixed fee of €2,499

It is important to see the notary fees separately from the cost of the buying support. With us you pay one fixed fee of €2,499. That amount is all-in for the work of your dedicated agent, from the search to the handover of the keys. No commission is added, so no agent's fee calculated as a percentage of the purchase price.

All-in refers to the agent's fee, not to the total buyer's costs. You pay these items separately, directly to the party providing them:

• transfer tax
• notary fees for the transfer deed and, with a mortgage, the mortgage deed
• a valuation report, if your lender asks for one
• a building survey
• mortgage advice

How the notary fits into your purchase

As soon as the purchase agreement is signed, the notary gets to work. They request data from the municipality and the Land Registry, check that the property is free of debts and seizures, and draw up the draft deed. You and the seller receive it in advance, so you can check that everything is correct.

The notary works independently. They do not represent the interests of the buyer or the seller, but make sure the transfer is legally sound. That role is therefore different from the role of your buying agent. Your dedicated agent is on your side at the viewing, the valuation, the offer and the negotiation. The notary only comes into the picture once the decisions have been made.

Because our fee is fixed, it does not move with the purchase price. So we have no interest in a higher price for the home. You know to the euro in advance what you will pay, and that amount is settled through the notarial deed. You advance nothing and pay at the moment the purchase actually goes ahead. If you do not buy a home, you pay nothing.

The handover of the keys: what happens that day

On the day of the transfer, practically speaking little happens. You put your signature under the transfer deed and, if you have a mortgage, under the mortgage deed as well. After that the home is officially yours and you receive the keys.

Your dedicated agent is there and does the final inspection with you beforehand. That way you can be sure the property has been delivered in the agreed condition before anything is signed. What was set down in the purchase agreement, such as the conditions precedent that let you cancel under certain circumstances, is the reference point for that check.

In short, it runs like this:

• purchase agreement signed: the notary starts the checks with the municipality and the Land Registry
• draft deed: you and the seller check the details
• settlement statement: you see which amount you have to transfer and what for
• final inspection: walking through the property with your dedicated agent
• signing at the notary: transfer deed, the mortgage deed if applicable, and the keys