Refunded €3,750 Within a Day — But Still Can't Explain Why They Charged It
My experience with this notary office was extremely disappointing, and I’m writing this so that other clients can make informed decisions.
During the purchase of our home, a fee of €3,750 (excl. VAT) was charged for the transfer deed. When I requested an explanation or internal breakdown of this amount, I received no response for months, including a request I sent on 2 June 2025 which was completely ignored.
Only after repeatedly following up did I finally receive a reply, but even then the office was unable to provide any breakdown at all: no hours, no tasks performed, no internal description of what the €3,750 represented. Instead, I was given general statements about standard procedures that were already listed separately on the invoice.
The responses I eventually received from the notary were shockingly unprofessional for someone in this position of trust. Instead of addressing my very specific questions, the notary sent emotionally charged and defensive messages, including comments that were wholly irrelevant to the issue and entirely inappropriate in tone. This is not the level of professionalism, composure, or objectivity one should ever encounter when dealing with a notary responsible for safeguarding legal and financial interests.
To my surprise, after pressing again for a clear explanation, the entire €3,750 was refunded within a single day, without any real clarification for the months of silence, why no internal breakdown existed, why the fee was charged in the first place, or the inconsistent communication throughout the process. It is also worth noting that during the actual home-buying process, most of our emails received no reply at all—yet on the single day I requested a clear explanation of the €3,750 fee, I received more responses from the notary in a few hours than during the entire original transaction. This contrast speaks for itself.
Based on my experience, I strongly advise all clients to check their invoices very carefully and request a full written breakdown if anything is unclear. This is your legal right. If proper answers are not provided, you can file a complaint directly with the Chamber of Notaries (Kamer voor het Notariaat), the official independent body that oversees notarial conduct.
If the office chooses to reply here, I encourage readers to compare their response with the documented timeline above and draw their own conclusions.