People forced to sell their homes at auction are facing extortionate notary costs which leave them with less money from the sale than anticipated, according to research by the home owners’ association VEH.

The VEH says notaries are organising auctions for up to 20 houses at a time but charging the full cost to each of the sellers. Costs include renting space, placing adverts and the auctioneer, reports Trouw.
In addition, notaries are also charging each seller a large amount for their time.
This can lead to a seller paying 40% more for an auction sale than would be the case with a normal sale through an estate agent, the VEH says.
The organisation is calling on notaries to keep their prices reasonable. It also wants a supervisor appointed to check prices and extra charges in these forced sales.