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The notary’s obligations

A question ? Need help ?

My father has passed away. The notary handling the estate only shows me a copy of his will and informs me that the original is with another notary. Is this legal?

Yes. Only the notary who holds the will (to whom your father entrusted it) is the custodian of the original. As soon as he is informed of the testator’s death, he must immediately draw up a report of opening and condition of the will, specifying the circumstances of its deposit…
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I am taking out a loan, and the bank requires a mortgage to be registered on my property. For cost reasons I would like the bank to handle the formalities. My notary says this is impossible. Is that true?

Yes. For a mortgage to be valid it must be executed by notarial deed (Civil Code, Article 2409). The notary handles registration and publication with the land registry service. The mortgage then becomes enforceable against third parties. The notary must practice in France if the property is located in France…
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I have lost my property deed, and I do not remember either the name of the notary or the address of the notary office. How can I obtain a copy?

In such a case, you should approach the territorially competent land registration service. By completing certain formalities (filling out CERFA forms n° 3233SD and n° 3236 SD), you can obtain a copy of your property deed (which will include the name of the notary who drafted the act).
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