HEMA stopped notary services

HEMA discontinued its notary services on December 29th of last year. The reason for discontinuing the partnership with its affiliated notaries was not disclosed.

HEMA began offering standard cohabitation agreements and wills in October 2013. Consumers could sign and execute the deeds at various notary offices with which HEMA collaborated.

Court of Appeal
The Royal Dutch Bank (KNB) subsequently took the matter to court to determine whether civil-law notaries were permitted to participate in this service. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal finally clarified the matter in 2015. The civil-law notary service complied with notarial laws and regulations. According to the court, the civil-law notary exercised sufficient control, authority, and oversight over the work outsourced to HEMA.

Current files
While HEMA has not disclosed the reason for discontinuing its notary services, it did publish a frequently asked questions document. It indicates that current cases are being handled by the notaries who drafted the deeds. Kruidvat, which also launched a notary service in 2020, has also stopped offering notarial products.