Real Estate: The increase in notary fees in 2025 is causing concern among homeowners.

Notary fees, or transfer taxes (DMTO), could soon place an even greater burden on real estate transactions. With local governments facing a decline in revenue, they are calling for an increase in their share of these fees—a measure that will be discussed during the review of the 2025 budget bill.
 

Rising notary fees: from 8% to 9%
Currently, notary fees account for between 7% and 8% of the sale price for existing homes. A large portion of this amount goes to the government and local authorities, including departments, which receive up to 4.5% of the total amount.
The departments’ demand is clear: to raise their share by one percentage point to reach 5.5%. If this measure is adopted, notary fees would rise to between 8% and 9%. For example, for a property sold for 300,000 euros, this would represent an additional cost of 3,000 euros for the buyer.
 

A Response to the Real Estate Crisis
This call for action comes amid a real estate crisis marked by a decline in transactions. In the first quarter of 2024, the number of sales of existing homes fell by 23.2% compared to the previous year, reaching its lowest level in more than seven years with 822,000 transactions recorded.
The decline in transactions has heavily impacted departmental revenues, as departments collect a share of the DMTO tax. While they collected 16.4 billion euros in 2022, expected revenues for 2024 amount to only 10.7 billion euros—a decrease of one-third.
 

A measure presented as temporary
According to the departments, this increase in notary fees would be a temporary solution to offset the decline in their revenues. Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Partnership with the Regions and Decentralization, has not ruled out this option, leaving the door open for its adoption.
 

An Additional Burden for Buyers
In a market already slowed by high interest rates and falling home prices, this measure could further increase the cost of homeownership for buyers. The prospect of a tax increase also risks reinforcing a wait-and-see attitude in a struggling real estate market.

The final decision will be made as part of the discussions on the 2025 budget. If this increase is adopted, it could temporarily ease the financial strain on the departments, but at the risk of putting further pressure on a real estate market already under strain. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether this measure becomes a reality.