The preliminary agreement already binds you; the notarial deed makes that commitment enforceable against third parties and formally transfers ownership. In between, the notary spends a few weeks verifying what neither buyer nor seller can check alone.
Why four months?
The usual delay is around four months. It is not administrative sluggishness: registration duties must be paid within a period that starts running from the preliminary agreement, and the notary schedules the deed inside that window. A shorter delay is possible when the file is complete; a longer one is negotiated and written into the agreement.
What the notary verifies
- Planning: the property's designated use, permits issued, any infringements, expropriation plans. They query the municipality and the Region.
- Mortgages and seizures: the notary ensures the property is free of registered charges, or arranges their release out of the sale price.
- Soil condition: depending on the Region, a certificate or information on possible contamination is required before the sale.
- Debts attached to the property: unpaid co-ownership charges, property tax, municipal levies. They are settled at the sale.
- The parties' capacity: matrimonial regime, powers of attorney, joint ownership, corporate structures.
The notary does not check the building's technical condition. Roof, damp and electrics remain your responsibility — that is the role of the viewing, the electrical inspection and, where relevant, a surveyor.
Signing day
The deed is read out, or its content explained, then signed by all parties. At that precise moment:
- the balance of the price is transferred to the seller from the notary's client account. The money must have arrived beforehand: a transfer sent that same morning does not qualify;
- the costs are deducted (registration duties, fees, transcription costs);
- ownership transfers, along with the risks that come with it;
- the keys are handed over, unless the agreement provides otherwise — temporary occupancy by the seller, for instance.
Energy and water meters are read and transferred on that occasion.
One notary or two?
Each party may have their own. Contrary to a widespread belief, this does not double the costs: the fees are shared between the two offices. Having your own notary therefore costs the same and gives you advice you do not share with the other side.
What can delay the deed
A missing permit, a planning infringement discovered, an unsettled estate on the seller's side, a loan not released on the buyer's side. These situations get resolved, but far faster when flagged to the notary at the preliminary agreement rather than discovered three weeks before signing.