Fewer deeds passed in April again

For the fourth consecutive month, notaries executed fewer deeds in April than in the same period last year. While notaries signed over 155,000 deeds in April 2022, that number dropped to 123,000 in April 2023: a difference of more than 20 percent.

Once again, the real estate practice is responsible for the decline. A total of over 22,000 fewer mortgage and transfer deeds were executed: that's more than half the number in April of last year. A sharp rise in interest rates and a limited housing supply are the main reasons for the sharp decline in the number of deeds executed in the real estate practice.

Family practice on the rise
Family law continues to grow; drawing up a will or living will remains popular. Notaries executed approximately 27,000 wills last month, over 1,500 more than in April 2022. The number of living wills even increased by 17 percent in April to over 17,000. Corporate law also saw growth, with 2 percent more deeds.

No revival for the time being
Notaries don't expect a revival in real estate practice anytime soon, according to a previous survey by the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB) . More than two-thirds of respondents reported a decrease in the number of new cases.