Can You Sell a Home Without a Notary in Quebec?
Selling a home is exciting. But one question comes up often:
“Do I really need a notary?”
Maybe you’ve bought or sold a car without a middle person — so why not a house?
Well… because in Quebec, the law is crystal clear.
In Quebec, using a notary is mandatory for any real estate sale
It’s not a preference. It’s not tradition.
It’s the law, written directly into the Civil Code of Quebec.
If you're selling a property:
The deed of sale must be notarized
It must be signed in person with a notary
The notary must register it in Quebec’s land registry
This applies to all real estate sales:
- Single-family homes
- Condos
- Land
- Duplexes, triplexes, or revenue properties
Can you get around this?
Nope. Any attempt to do a DIY deed of sale:
- Won’t be legally valid
- Won’t be registered
- Exposes you to serious risks (litigation, fraud, or cancellation)
Even if both buyer and seller act in good faith, you're not legally protected without a notarized deed.
Why is the notary so important?
Here’s what a notary actually does during a sale:
|
Task |
Why it matters |
|
Title verification |
Ensures the seller legally owns the property |
|
Drafts the deed |
Confirms all clauses are valid and enforceable |
|
Manages funds |
Withholds required amounts (e.g. taxes, mortgage payoff) |
|
Registers the deed |
Makes the sale official and enforceable against others |
It’s your best safeguard against surprises.
Why do people still ask this?
- In other provinces, lawyers handle what notaries do in Quebec.
- Some websites wrongly suggest a private agreement is enough (not true in Quebec).
- Online tools make the process feel fully digital — but final signature must happen in person.
In short:
No real estate sale in Quebec can be completed without a notary. Period.
How Notairo makes the process simple (but still legal)
Yes — the law requires in-person signing.
But the rest? We’ve streamlined it for you:
Online quote request
100% digital document sharing
Quick scheduling with a trusted notary
Real-time dashboard to track your file
All that — without guessing the price in advance.
Quick Recap
|
Question |
Answer |
|
Can you sell without a notary? |
No — it’s illegal in Quebec |
|
Why? |
The deed must be notarized and registered |
|
Can the whole thing be done online? |
Not the signature — but everything else, yes |
|
What’s Notairo? |
A simple, legal, and modern way to sell your property |
Ready to start selling your home?
With Notairo, you get the peace of mind of a notary — and the ease of a fully modern process.
