The verdict in three sentences
For a notary office in Dakar handling 300 to 1,200 deeds a year, a custom deed tracking app falls in Kolonell's mid-range application grid: 4 to 7 M FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), delivered in 10 to 14 weeks. It replaces paper ledgers and spreadsheets with formalities tracking (tax registration, land registry filing, issuing copies) with pre-deadline alerts and a client portal that cuts follow-up calls. In civil-law markets such as Quebec, France or Belgium, comparable market builds are typically quoted at 30,000 to 80,000 EUR, mainly because of local labour costs and integrations with notarial networks.
Where time and money leak in a notary office in 2026
A property sale in Dakar triggers about ten steps after signing: registration with the tax office, payment of duties, filing with the land registry, entry in the land book, then delivery of titles and copies. Each step has its own deadline and contacts. When tracking lives in a ledger and an Excel file, nobody can see blocked files at a glance.
| Step after signing | Indicative 2026 deadline | Risk if poorly tracked |
|---|---|---|
| Deed registration | Generally one month for notarial deeds (check by deed type) | Late penalties and interest |
| Payment of registration duties | On filing | Whole chain blocked |
| Filing with the land registry | 2 to 8 weeks depending on office | Client waiting for title, complaints |
| Entry in the land book | 1 to 3 months | Bank will not release a loan |
| Issuing copies and title | 1 to 2 weeks after return | Repeated client calls |
| Archiving the original deed | Retained indefinitely | Loss, damage, slow searches |
What a deed tracking app costs
Here are realistic options. Kolonell amounts follow its official grid dated 11/10/2026; other lines are market orders of magnitude.
| Option | Upfront cost | Recurring cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper ledgers + spreadsheet | Close to zero | 15 to 25 h of follow-ups per week for the office | Immediate |
| European notarial package adapted (market) | High licence and adaptation cost, often a poor fit for OHADA law and local land practice | Subscription in EUR | 3 to 6 months |
| Kolonell simple app (file tracking, alerts) | 2.5 to 4 M FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) | Kolonell maintenance from 35,000 FCFA per month | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Kolonell mid-range app (formalities, client portal, archiving) | 4 to 7 M FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Kolonell maintenance 75,000 FCFA per month | 10 to 14 weeks |
| Kolonell complex app (multi-office, accounting, integrations) | 7 to 15 M FCFA and up (10,670 to 22,870 EUR and up) | Kolonell maintenance 120,000 FCFA per month | 4 to 6 months |
| Custom build in Quebec or Europe (market) | 30,000 to 80,000 EUR | 15 to 20% of build per year | 4 to 8 months |
The features that make the difference
The core of the tool fits in five modules. The deed file gathers parties, property, documents and the status of each formality. The alert engine warns the responsible clerk at D-10 and D-3 before each registration deadline. The client portal shows the current step and sends an SMS or WhatsApp notification at each milestone, which removes a large share of calls. The document vault encrypts scanned originals and logs every access. Finally, the notary dashboard shows late files, duties collected and average lead times per land registry office.
In Senegal, Law 2008-12 on personal data applies: declaration to the CDP, secure hosting, role-based access and access logging. In Europe the equivalent is the GDPR, in Quebec Law 25.
Mini case study
Me Ndiaye, head notary of an office in Dakar-Plateau (illustrative case), handles 700 deeds a year with three clerks. Each spends about 6 hours a week checking deadlines and answering client follow-ups, so 3 x 6 x 46 = 828 hours a year. At a loaded cost of 4,000 FCFA per hour, that is 3.3 M FCFA a year. A mid-range app at 5.5 M FCFA, plus 900,000 FCFA of annual maintenance, that frees 60% of that time (about 2 M FCFA) and avoids two or three late penalties a year (about 800,000 FCFA) yields close to 1.9 M FCFA net per year: it pays back in just under three years, with noticeably smoother client service from the first month.
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FAQ
How much does deed tracking software cost for a notary office in Dakar?
At Kolonell, a mid-range app with formalities tracking, alerts and a client portal costs 4 to 7 M FCFA. A simple version starts at 2.5 M FCFA, and a multi-office version with accounting exceeds 7 M FCFA.
How long does deployment take?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks for a mid-range app, including 2 weeks of scoping with the notary and clerks. Migration of open files runs in parallel during the last 2 weeks.
Is the office's data secure?
The app encrypts documents, restricts access by role and logs every view, in line with Law 2008-12. Backups run daily and are tested monthly.
Can clients track their own file?
Yes, the portal shows the current step and sends a message at each milestone. In practice, this sharply reduces calls asking where the title is.
What does maintenance include?
Kolonell maintenance runs from 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA per month depending on the level: fixes, security, backups and small improvements. It is sized on the number of users and integrations.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your deed volume, number of clerks and most critical formalities: we will define the scope, a budget within the 4 to 7 M FCFA range and the timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
