Decrease in the number of deeds passed

In the third quarter of this year, notaries executed over 468,000 deeds. That's over 21,000 fewer than in the same quarter last year: a decrease of 4.6 percent. Compared to the second quarter of this year, the number of deeds decreased by over 42,000, a decrease of 8.6 percent.

So far this year, notaries have executed a total of 1,404,000 deeds. That's 36,000 fewer than in the first three quarters of 2021 (1,440,000), but still over 16,000 more than in the same period in 2020 (1,387,000).

Increase in (living) wills
The number of (living) wills did increase in the past quarter compared to the same quarter last year. Nearly 6,000 more living wills (15.4 percent) and just over 3,800 wills (5.3 percent) were executed. Compared to the second quarter of this year, however, there was a decrease. The number of living wills fell by just over 3,000 to 77,000, a decrease of 6.5 percent. The number of wills decreased by 3,500 (4.4 percent) to 44,000.

Decrease in transfers and mortgages
The biggest declines this quarter were in transfer and mortgage deeds. While the latter increased (sharply) in the previous quarter, last quarter the number of mortgage deeds decreased by over 21,000 to 103,000 compared to the third quarter of 2021, a decrease of almost 14 percent. Compared to the second quarter of this year, the number of mortgage deeds decreased by over 24,000, a decrease of 19 percent. The sharp rise in mortgage interest rates is partly responsible for this. Transfer deeds were executed 82,500 times in the third quarter. That is 9,500 fewer (over 10 percent) than in the same quarter of 2021. Compared to the second quarter of this year, that number remained stable at approximately 82,000 deeds.

Decrease in the number of incorporation deeds
The downward trend also continues in corporate law practice. For example, the number of deeds of incorporation for private limited companies fell by 8.6 percent compared to the same quarter last year and by over 25 percent compared to the second quarter of this year. The number of share transfers remained stable compared to last year, but decreased by 15 percent compared to the previous quarter.

Decrease in cases in real estate practice
The trends of the past quarter appear to be continuing for the time being. When asked about their expectations, 68 percent of notaries who participated in the monthly survey about their workload indicated they are seeing a decline in real estate practice. A quarter of them report a decrease in new cases of less than 10 percent, and a third a decrease of 10 to 25 percent.

Increase in family practice
For family practice, over 22 percent of respondents reported an increase in new cases, while 70 percent saw the number remain the same. Ten percent reported an increase of less than 10 percent, and a similar percentage saw an increase of 10 to 25 percent.

Changing picture in corporate law
In corporate law practice, half of the respondents reported the number of new cases remaining the same, with almost 28 percent reporting an increase and almost 22 percent a decrease. The rates of increase and decrease are roughly the same; 11 percent saw an increase of less than 10 percent, while 12 percent saw a decrease of the same magnitude. Seventeen percent reported an increase of 10 to 25 percent, while 12 percent observed a decrease of 10 to 25 percent.