A very interesting and well researched article about the facts that the concept of notaires in France very solid - but that not all notaires are equal. Source: French Property News 8th October 2018.
Notaires in France have a privileged status, but their competence and conduct can sometimes fall short of the standards required for such an important role.
The notarial profession in France has historically been one held in great high esteem, the epitome of probity and good counsel. They have the security and status of senior public servants, as part of which they have a monopoly of all conveyancing transactions and all successions. The legal documents they produce (actes authentiques) are public instruments, which grant them a greater legal certainty than privately executed contracts. However, even though they may ostensibly be public servants, notaires earn their income from the fees they charge for their services. In most cases the fees are regulated by the government, which means not only that you cannot negotiate with a notaire, but it also prevents competition between them for business.
Fees
Some fees are very reasonable, such as those in connection with preparation of a will and a change of marriage contract. Nevertheless, with many charges based on a percentage of the transaction value, the fees can quickly mount up, such as those in connection making a gift or those in relation to successions.
Given that the level of remuneration for some work is meagre, there is obviously the temptation to give less time to minor operations and to focus instead on the most lucrative instructions. Not only are many of the fees scales high, but the rules that are used to determine which fee scale applies, and the algorithms then used to work them out, are probably only fully understood by the notaires themselves. That can sometimes mean clients paying over the odds for unnecessary procedures, such as those in connection with marriage contracts. There seems to be a huge divergence in the way notaires calculate the fee payable and many international couples have substantially overpaid for the process.
Real estate
Notaires are also permitted to sell real estate, which they promote very heavily, and thereby earn both the commission and conveyancing fees associated with such sales.
Mishaps
Numerous legal cases remind us that notaires are not infallible, and that sometimes their advice may not always be in the best interests of their client. One of the most spectacular of these cases, and one that is still ongoing, is 'l’affaire Appolonia' in which several notaires based in the Bouches-du-Rhône have been charged with acting in a complicit manner with a firm of financial and property consultants in the mis-selling of newly constructed rental developments in the region.
Other recent cases on which we have reported are those concerning:
a notaire who concealed a prospective wind farm development, located in proximity to the property;
a notaire who failed to make proper enquiries regarding subsidence to a property;
a notaire who failed to properly protect buyers who purchased land on which to build a home;
a notaire who failed to draw the attention of a purchaser to an easementthat adversely affected the property.
These are only a handful of the many similar cases that are heard in the courts each year, or which are referred to the professional body of notaires for adjudication.
There have also been cases of notaires having acquired real estate or money from clients for themselves or third parties, where the client was clearly incapable of properly understanding what was taking place. In addition, what these reported cases do not show are the occasions when clients have suffered errors that have not resulted in a claim, or when poor advice has been given which may not have been challenged, or when there have been unreasonable delays in completing a transaction, providing information or a refund of monies.
Over the years we have received hundreds of mails from readers that can testify to many cases of maladministration that never reach the courts.
Complaints also abound about delays incurred in processing a case and poor communication with a client. This is particularly noticeable in inheritance cases and in property sale and purchase transactions.
Many critics also consider there is an excessive use of standard form of contracts and deeds to process property transactions, when the nuances of the transaction under consideration requires more customised drafting.
As 'public officials' notaires can, and generally do, act for both parties, but this is often to the disadvantage of international buyers, for notaires may well be closer to one of the parties to a transaction than is appropriate for complete transparency and neutrality.
Although there is a disciplinary procedure in place, it is one that is auto-regulated, requiring that the matter is reported to the local professional body, the Chambre de Notaires for investigation. Such procedures lack a degree of independence and transparency about them.
Redress
Since 2016, it has also been possible to commence a mediation procedure to resolve a dispute with a notaire. This is the result of European legislation that requires all Member States to grant consumers the right of access to an independent mediator in their disputes with professionals. The process is free of charge and can be launched at Mediateur-notariat.
It is also possible to bring a legal action in the courts, where notaires regularly get called to account for fraudulent acts or for professional negligence. However, there are inevitably substantial costs involved, and with the legal system in France in a state of decomposition, the case can take years to resolve.
It does of course need to be said that the vast majority of notaires no doubt do an excellent job for their clients, and the overwhelming majority of transactions proceed without a hitch, but there are enough cases of improper conduct or incompetence that it is unwise to put blind faith in the process.
Moreover, the difficulty for those seeking a notaire (particularly foreign nationals), is that there is no easy way to sort the good from the bad - at least, not until it is too late.
As always, prevention is far better than cure, and so our general advice in a property transaction would be to consider appointing your own notaire, rather than have a single notaire act for both sides. It will not cost more as the fee is shared.
Choosing your own notaire
Your choice of notaire need not be a local incumbent; sometimes it makes sense to use a local notaire for the knowledge they hold, particularly in relation to real estate matters, but if you are uneasy about their competence or impartiality then drive to the next town for a consultation with another one.
Indeed, where the transaction is a complicated one, involving multiple buyers or conditional clauses in the contract, or you do not have a familiarity with the French language, then you might well be advised to appoint a solicitor from your home country to advise and represent you, alongside the notaire.
The use of a home-based solicitor is particularly useful if inheritance planning issues are being considered as part of the purchase process due to the complexities of international law in such matters.
Indeed, some notaires are reluctant to act in international succession cases, precisely because they are rarely straightforward and can be very time-consuming.
Whichever route you take in using a notaire, it pays to do your own homework, and to not be intimidated out of deference to the frequently regalian nature of the whole process.