Are notaries ‘too busy’ for us?
The Backer family is large. Grandma Cathrien and Grandpa Dirk are in their late seventies and recently married. They and the (grand)children from their respective families occasionally need the help of a notary. You can read about their recognisable situations here.
‘Janneke was in quite a panic yesterday, wasn’t she?’ said Cathrien. She meant her bridge partner, during a discussion about how busy notaries are. ‘Well, she did have a point,’ Dirk felt.
After bridge, the conversation turned to the importance of a (lifetime) will, and of arranging it in good time. Janneke had said: ‘My daughter is getting remarried in the summer. She and her future husband wanted to arrange a marital property agreement at the notary’s. She had to phone around endlessly, and only the eighth notary could give her an appointment. Scandalous. And even then only in a few months, which is rather tight given the wedding date. So all of you had better arrange that will super fast, otherwise there won’t even be any need for it,’ she joked.
Parliamentary questions
‘But we’ve always been able to reach our notary quickly, haven’t we?’ asked Cathrien. ‘True,’ Dirk answered, ‘but we’ve known him for years, perhaps that helps. Because the pressure is definitely an issue; parliamentary questions have even been asked about it. There are fewer notaries, but they have more work for all kinds of reasons. Take the ageing population. That means more requests for wills and lifetime wills. The number of mortgage deeds and transfer deeds has also gone up, because private landlords sold their properties due to changed tax legislation.’
Arranging it in good time
Cathrien nodded. She understood this, but still thought it wouldn’t all be that bad. ‘Because what if you’re on your deathbed? Surely a notary can’t possibly be “not at home” then?’
Dirk didn’t know either, and decided to give them a call. ‘Are you really going to phone that poor, busy notary now too?’ his wife laughed.
‘They have good secretaries and they’ll surely know how it works.’ A little later he came back into the room and said reassuringly: ‘They will try to do everything they can in the case of a sickbed or a death. But anyone who wants something like a marital property agreement or a will is better off arranging it in good time. Not a month before the wedding date or only once you’re ill. That’s what it mostly comes down to.’
