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.
Flemish Region:
- 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% (see conditions below, previously 3%)
- 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: 6%(conditions, previously 4%)
- Special regime of sales right for exchange of undeveloped estates: exempt, 6% or 10%(conditions)
- Reduced rate for purchase of protected monuments: discontinued(conditions, previously 1 or 6%)
- Reduced rate for energy renovation of sole proprietary home: discontinued(conditions, previously 1%)
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 is not logical, but is how the rule works. Brussels Capital Region: The registration fee rate is 12.5%. Since April 1, 2023, the first bracket of 200,000 euros has been exempt from registration fees. This is also called abattement. This amounts to an amount of 25,000 euros. To get this exemption, you must meet these conditions:
- The buyer is a natural person.
- The buyer does not own any other property(s).
- The buyer uses the home as his or her primary residence for at least 2 years and stays there for at least 5 years.
- All or part of the property is zoned for residential use.
- The total price of the property does not exceed 600,000 euros.
- The property has been sold (not received via gift or inheritance).
Caution:
- Do you leave the home within 5 years of purchase? Then you must repay the amount of 25,000 euros in proportion to the number of years you actually lived in it.
- Do you sell the home within 2 years of purchase? Then you can apply for a refund of the registration fees. This is a refund of up to 36% of the fees you paid.
Walloon Region: The registration fee rate is currently 12.5%.
Update: There is a proposal on the table to drop the registration fee for the first sole owner-occupied home from 12.5% to 3%. This would take effect from Jan. 1, 2025, but has not yet been transposed into law. We will update this article as soon as the proposal is finally transposed.
- General rate for home other than sole owner-occupied home: 12.5%
- Reduced rate for purchase of sole owner-occupied home: 3% (see conditions below)
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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