Excellent peer review for MAES notaries

NRC Handelsblad publication on notary offices

According to an article published yesterday in NRC Handelsblad, a quarter to a third of notary offices are reportedly failing to comply with legal obligations. Compliance with anti-money laundering legislation ("Wwft") is particularly lacking, according to confidential quality assessments conducted by NRC Handelsblad.

Response from the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries

The newspaper's conclusion, according to a statement from the chairman of the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB), is a far cry from reality. The reality is that the Wwft is generally well-complied with in the notarial profession. We all know that non-compliance with the Wwft can lead to unpleasant disciplinary cases. Fortunately, these appear to be few and far between. Over the past 10 years, the disciplinary court has imposed sanctions in 16 cases where the Wwft played a role. That represents 2 percent of all firms. The KNB will send a letter to the editor to NRC Handelsblad in which it intends to correct the unfair, inaccurate, and unqualified impression painted in that newspaper.

Peer review

On November 26, 2021, a mandatory peer review of the quality and integrity of notary Mr. GHHJ (Geert) Janssen MRE MBA and the practices of MAES civil-law notaries and Basisnotarissen Rijnmond took place, as required by the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB).

About us

MAES Notarissen is an independent, full-service notary office serving individuals, businesses, and (semi-)government bodies in the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Area. We specialize in personal and family law, corporate law, and real estate. We guide our clients through the moments that truly matter in life—both business and personal. We offer peace of mind, reliability, and security. We provide customized solutions and, with Basisnotarissen Rijnmond, offer a discount label for affordable, ready-made solutions. Impeccable, dedicated, and honest.

Top notch

The auditors who conducted the peer review were extremely complimentary about notary Mr. GHHJ Janssen MRE MBA and the way our office operates. In their report, they wrote:

This office strives to practice notarial services as efficiently as possible, with a skilled team and effective digitalization of processes, focusing on and dedicating quality to its clients. The skilled team succeeds in achieving this goal. Legal obligations are met, the assignment process is well-organized, and there is a strong focus on professional training.

Encouragement

We consider the outcome of the peer review—along with all the client reviews we received last year—a boost, but above all, an encouragement to continue doing our utmost as a team this year to practice our profession to the best of our ability and to serve our clients impeccably, diligently, and with integrity. We remain fully committed to this.

Role of the Royal Dutch Notarial Association

The Royal Dutch Notary Association (KNB) is committed to a high-quality and ethical notarial profession, and thus to strong legal certainty in the Netherlands. The KNB provides advice and information to its members and offers training courses. All of this is done in close consultation with a professional group highly motivated to continuously improve.

As a public-law professional organization, the KNB has the authority to make binding regulations for its members regarding the practice of the profession. For example, the KNB has a "Quality Regulation" to promote the quality and integrity of the notarial profession. This regulation governs, among other things, peer review within the notarial profession.

The KNB is explicitly not a supervisory authority. For notaries, the supervisory authority is the Financial Supervision Office (BFT). However, there is close cooperation between the BFT and the KNB. For example, it has been agreed that the KNB will assess compliance with the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft). The KNB has incorporated these assessments into its peer review process. The BFT has complimented the KNB on its conscientious implementation of its supervision.

The peer review

Peer review is a peer-to-peer assessment process in which each notary's office is audited by an auditor every three years. Peer review represents a robust peer-to-peer assessment of the quality and integrity of the notary and their practice. The premise of peer review is that professionals are best placed to assess a firm's quality and integrity.

The peer review process is guided by nineteen criteria developed in consultation with the professional association. While the peer review is conducted among colleagues, it is certainly not without obligation. Each assessment results in a clear report with an overview of the findings and key points of attention. If shortcomings are identified, the firm is given time to implement improvements. Minor shortcomings are reviewed in writing, but major shortcomings are followed by a re-audit.
If conduct is suspected of being worthy of complaint, a comprehensive further investigation will follow. The KNB may then file a complaint with the Supervisory Board.

Publication NRC Handelsblad

If you are interested in the NRC Handelsblad publication, read the article here: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2022/04/11/notaris-heeft-zaken-niet-op-orde-a4111002 .