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Anyone who wants to settle their estate can achieve a great deal with just a few sentences—but can also trigger unintended consequences. Typical mistakes can be avoided if important issues are considered early on and legally settled in an unambiguous manner. Relying on statutory succession: The belief that the surviving spouse automatically inherits the entire estate upon the death of the other spouse is a widespread…

Fraudsters Are Targeting Start-ups—Westphalian Chamber of Notaries. Time and again, newly established limited liability companies (GmbHs) receive fake invoices immediately after being entered in the commercial register. Many of these fake documents can only be distinguished from the official invoices issued by the registry courts upon close inspection, and they demand payment within an extremely short timeframe. Failure to pay allegedly results in late fees…

Nationwide standardized continuing education credentials—Notary Specialist, Notary Assistant, and Notary Consultant—already existed, offering notary clerks a wide range of opportunities to pursue continuing education and earn advanced professional qualifications. „With the new continuing education structure, these opportunities will become even more transparent and comparable nationwide in the future,“ explains Dr. Markus Sikora, President of the Federal Chamber of Notaries. The previously regionally varied continuing education programs will be replaced by a uniform system,…

Homeowners without direct access to the street often assume that their neighbor will allow them to cross their property. This can quickly become a problem in the event of a dispute or a sale to a third party if a right of way has not been recorded in the land registry. Even after decades of tacit agreement, there is no customary right to use the path. Those affected, as well as people who own a second home…

Many homeowners underestimate the legal requirements involved when selling a house with a solar power system. Notaries provide guidance and offer legally sound solutions. What buyers and sellers need to know. Millions of homes in Germany have solar panels on their roofs. But what happens to these panels when the home is sold? Do they automatically become part of the building? Is the…

When couples, siblings or parents and children buy a property together, the question is not only who owns which share. It is also important: Who pays how much? What happens in the event of separation, death or subsequent transfer to the next generation? A civil law partnership, or GbR for short, can provide a flexible structure in such cases - should...

Notaries notarize and certify. But what is the difference? The terms are often confused or equated, but they are completely different activities: while notarization is required for significant legal transactions and includes notarial advice, signature certification basically only confirms the identity of the signatory. Notarization In the case of notarizations, deeds are...

Buying a home, drawing up a marriage contract, applying for adoption - some legal transactions are so important that the law requires them to be notarized. But what is the path to the deed? What happens „behind the scenes“ once everyone has signed? Notaries provide advice and support from the initial idea through to implementation. The path to...

Since December 29, 2025, it has been possible to draw up notarial deeds in an electronic face-to-face procedure. The parties to the deed are present in person at the notary's office, but the deed itself is originally drawn up electronically and signed electronically by the parties involved. „The introduction of electronic face-to-face notarization is a key step in the digitalization of the notary's office. An electronically drawn up deed enables...

People who give away assets during their lifetime often think of tax advantages. But in fact, three different ten-year periods - in tax law, in gift and social security law and in the law on compulsory portions - determine whether a gift really has the desired effect in the end. A surprising finding for many, which shows that asset transfers are often less a spontaneous act of generosity...