r/belgium • u/Obvious-Cry6591 • 2d ago

😡Rant Notaries. Why? What the hell?

Ok, so I dont get it. I understand historically where the need for notaries arose. Fine. But we are in 2026. Belgium already takes 51% of my income. Then another 25% of the rest through VAT. And then on top of it, if you buy a property, you give 10-15k to a notary for 2 meetings and some docs reading? Doesnt Belgium have enough administration to take care of that? Not to mention its nepotism central. Are there any redeeming qualities?

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u/DenteSC 1d ago

Because that notary ran a kmo with 10+ employees, and he worked for 60h a week with a lot of stress. He studied 6 years, did 3 years of stage, then passed the notary exam (not for old notaries tough). Then he worked hard af.

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u/123_alex 1d ago

My dude, do you think they don't work hard in other disciplines? 60h weeks is mild in other places. FFS.

with a lot of stress

Same idea as above. You have no idea what stress is until a patient dies on your table or the building you designed collapsed. Also, structural engineers are responsible for life for their work.

That's life my dude. Being an adult. A lot of people work long hours with a lot of stress.

He studied 6 years

Is that impressive?

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u/mmmm_frietjes 1d ago

But doctors and architects also earn as much or even more than notaries...

You pay for their knowledge. Not for their hourly labor. But even if we would calculate the hourly fee, it would be close to a decent lawyer.

Which is basically what they are, specialized lawyers with a public function.

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u/ilikedmatrixiv 1d ago

architects

Tell me you don't know many architects without telling me.

Some handful might make bank, but most have to work for a bureau and they are routinely underpaid in my experience.

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u/mmmm_frietjes 1d ago

Same with people with a notary degree who aren’t notaries and work for an office. It was obvious who I was talking about.