You’re about to purchase your first home. In addition to the purchase price, there are a lot of other costs involved. One of those costs is notary fees. But exactly how much do you pay the notary? We list it for you.
1. What are notary fees?
“Notary fees” is a term used to describe the taxes involved in buying a new house or apartment. We may say notary fees, but only a small one is for the notary himself. Within this rubric are three main aspects.
2. Registration fees on purchase
When purchasing a house or condo, taxes are due, known as registration fees. This is the tax that must be paid to the government when registering a deed or writing, as required when purchasing real estate. This cost is the first of the notary fees. This cost is in addition to the purchase price of the property. The notary will handle this payment on your behalf. Registration fees can eventually add up to thousands of dollars on top of the purchase price, and it is not always possible to obtain additional financing for this from the bank. Thorough advance information is therefore essential. The rate of this tax varies by region. For Flanders, these registration fees apply*:
- General rate for home other than sole owner-occupied home: 12%
- General rate for undeveloped long-term land and natural assets: 10%
- Reduced rate for purchase of sole owner-occupied home: 2%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for energy renovation of sole owner-occupied home: 1%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for protected moments as sole owner-occupied property: 1%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for purchase of social housing: 1.5%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for purchase of property for social rental: 7% (conditions)
- Reduced rate for purchases by professional sellers: 4%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for purchase of protected monuments: rate halved(conditions)
- Special regime of sales right for exchange of undeveloped estates: exempt, 6% or 10%(conditions)
Note: A new construction home is subject to 12% registration tax on the land and 21% VAT on the construction(details). A home is a newly built home by law if someone has NOT lived in the home for at least 2 years. So a house that was built in 1980, but no one has ever lived in it, is a newly built house. This does not make sense, but is how the rule works.
2. Notary honorarium
The notary’s fee or honorarium must also be paid. This rate is set by law in the Royal Decree and is non-negotiable. The rate is degressive, so the higher the purchase price of the property, the lower the rate. It is advisable to contact a notary (office) for a cost calculation if you have a specific property in mind.
3. Administrative costs
In addition to the above notary fees, there are also administrative fees. The notary records the purchase of your home in a notarized deed, which involves these administrative fees. These fees are paid directly to the notary, who makes sure the money gets to the right government agencies. Here is an overview of these costs:
- Registration fee on your mortgage: 1% of the amount you borrow in mortgage, if you take out a loan.
- Mortgage duty: 0.3% on the total sum for which you take out a mortgage.
- Search work: about 1,000 euros for searching extracts in the register, making the necessary requests, entitlement to writs, etc.
- Third-party expenses: depends on what needs to be requested (e.g., requests for city planning information).
Get an estimate of your notary fees through Notaris.be’s calculation module.
Sources: HoeveelKostMijnHuis, Immoweb, Notary & Flanders(*)
Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:
Dillen, E. (2024, Nov. 21). Notary fees when buying house or apartment. Apartment.be. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/notariskosten-aankoop-huis-of-appartement/
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