Notaries passed more than 2 million deeds in 2021

Last year, civil-law notaries collectively executed 2,000,078 deeds. That's almost 50,000 more than in 2020, an increase of 2.5 percent. This is the third consecutive year that civil-law notaries have executed a record number of deeds. In 2016, they collectively executed 1,557,672 deeds. In five years, the number of notarial deeds has increased by over 28 percent.

The increase in 2021 is largely due to mortgage deeds. This number rose by over 35,000 to just over 476,000, an increase of 8 percent. The rise in the number of private limited companies (BVs) incorporated is also notable. This number rose by approximately 10,300 to almost 79,500, an increase of just under 15 percent.

Fewer transfers
For the first time in years, the number of real estate transfers has decreased. While notaries executed over 405,000 transfer deeds in 2020, in 2021 that number had dropped to over 379,000: a decrease of 26,000 deeds, or a 6.5 percent decrease. This is a direct consequence of the stagnation in the housing market.

Also more (living) wills
In family law, the number of wills increased by 4,000 in 2021 to a total of 311,500, an increase of 1.3 percent. The number of living wills rose by 2.5 percent, from 165,600 in 2020 to approximately 169,700 in 2021. Other family law deeds saw an even greater relative increase. For example, the number of certificates of inheritance increased by 3,250 to 77,200 (+4.4 percent). The number of cohabitation agreements rose by 3,900 to 48,600 (+8.7 percent), and the number of prenuptial agreements rose by 1,250 to 12,200, an increase of 11.5 percent.

Business practice on the rise
In addition to the sharp rise in the number of new private limited companies (BVs), the number of other deeds in business practice also increased. The number of deeds regulating the transfer of shares rose by 5.5 percent to 32,150. The number of amendments to the articles of association of BVs and foundations also rose, by 6.9 percent to 15,850 deeds and 10.6 percent to 14,350 deeds, respectively.