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The notary’s obligations

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My father is planning to give me bare ownership of an apartment he owns. The notary has estimated its fee without considering the dismemberment of ownership. Is this normal?

Yes. For the fees associated with a gift deed, the notary's fees are calculated based on the full value of the property. This applies even when the donor retains the usufruct of the property (art. A444-67 C. com.).
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My widowed mother has passed away. To establish the certificate of notoriety (acte de notoriété), the notary is asking me to provide her family record book (livret de famille). I cannot find it. Can I obtain a copy?

No. In the event of loss, it is not possible to obtain a copy of the family record book. According to Article 15 of Decree No. 74-449 of 15 May 1974, only a second family record book may be issued, and only to spouses or parents who do not possess…
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Can we still contact a notary during containment? And if yes, how?

Yes. In accordance with the measures of Decree No. 2020-260 dated March 16, 2020, the approximately 6,000 notarial offices have closed their reception to the public since March 17, 2020. But about 90% of them continue their activity remotely. They can be reached by phone, email and videoconference. Notaries are…
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My father has passed away. The notary handling the estate has only provided me with a copy of the will and informs me that he does not have the original, which is held by another notary. Is this normal?

Yes. The original of a will is kept by the notary who has custody of it, meaning the one who received it and filed it among his official records (Article 1007 of the French Civil Code). The notary you have appointed to handle the estate therefore only has a copy.
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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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