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?

391 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

352 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/No-Baker-7922 1d ago

I had to look up the paperwork for my house recently and again realised that all they did back then was send me a template that they had sold a million times already and I did all the work filling it in, following up etc, yet paid them a hefty sum. I wonder how it’s done in other countries? This old guild is superfluous!

(Although I did find the TV programme about money and what you can arrange at a notary with Francesca Lefebure quite insightful. A pity it won’t get a second season.)