Living wills still popular

Notaries executed 10 percent fewer deeds in the third quarter of this year than last year. This amounts to a total of 404,000 deeds, over 43,000 fewer than in the third quarter of 2022. Compared to the second quarter of this year, the number of deeds decreased by over 18,000 (4.3 percent).

The decline is not due to the number of wills and living wills. There is still high demand for these. The number of deeds executed in family law practice increased by a total of 6.5 percent. More deeds were also executed in corporate law practice (2.9 percent). However, the real estate practice is significantly behind last year, with a decline of 24 percent. This is evident from the fact sheet on deed numbers in the notary profession (pdf) from the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-Law Notaries (KNB).

Living wills are particularly popular
The enduring popularity of living wills is striking. Quarter after quarter, the number is increasing (significantly). Last quarter, notaries executed nearly 51,000 wills. That's 6,800 (15 percent) more than last year. Wills also remain popular. Over 81,000 of these were executed, an increase of 4,200 (5.5 percent).

Number of mortgages almost equal to transfer deeds
The era of massive mortgage refinancing without people moving seems to be definitively over. The number of mortgage deeds in the third quarter was 71,000, and the number of transfer deeds 70,500. This suggests that mortgages are primarily taken out when a property is also being transferred. The decrease in the number of mortgage deeds was a substantial 31 percent. The number of transfer deeds decreased by almost 15 percent.

More limited companies
Corporate law practice shows a slight increase. A total of approximately 22,500 deeds were executed in this legal area. This is almost 3 percent more than last year. The number of new private limited companies (BVs) increased in particular (by over 5 percent) to 14,500. Civil-law notaries are currently preparing for the new option of establishing BVs digitally, effective January 1st.

Cautious optimism
A survey among civil-law notaries reveals mixed expectations regarding the number of deeds in real estate law. On average, civil-law notaries are cautiously optimistic about the coming months. Of the respondents, 29 percent report a decrease in the number of new cases in real estate law, but 26 percent an increase. For 7 percent, the decrease is less than 10 percent, and 17 percent report a decrease between 10 and 25 percent. Conversely, 13 percent see an increase of less than 10 percent, and 12 percent an increase between 10 and 25 percent. Expectations for the family law practice are also positive. 35 percent of respondents report an increase, of which 17 percent an increase of less than 10 percent, and 18 percent an increase between 10 and 25 percent. In corporate law, the number of new cases has remained the same for almost three-quarters of respondents. For 24 percent, the number has increased, and for 12 percent, it has not.