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The role of a notary

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I jointly own a property with my sister following our mother’s death. If we want to draw up a co-ownership agreement, do we need to go to a notary?

Yes. Any co-ownership agreement governing the management arrangements for jointly owned real property must be executed as a notarised deed. Indeed, to make it enforceable against third parties, the agreement is subject to land registration formalities (French Civil Code, Arts. 815-1, 1873-2 and 710-1, para. 1).
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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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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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