The verdict in three sentences
In a notary or conveyancing office with 3 partners, the 40 daily calls from anxious buyers and sellers tie up the equivalent of one and a half clerks or assistants. A client portal connected to the deed drafting software, showing each step from preliminary contract to completion and accepting documents, cuts those calls by about 60%. The market budget sits between EUR 20,000 and 45,000 (roughly USD 22,000 to 49,000) depending on integration depth, and the investment usually pays back in under 18 months.
Why clients call so often
A property sale in civil law countries takes about 3 months between the preliminary contract and the final deed; common law conveyancing runs 8 to 12 weeks. During that time the buyer waits for a mortgage offer, the seller waits for searches or pre-emption rights to clear, and neither knows what is happening. In markets with many non-resident buyers, such as the French Riviera, Spain, Portugal or Dubai, time zones and language amplify the effect.
| Reason for calling (2026 order of magnitude) | Share of calls | Can it be answered online? |
|---|---|---|
| Where is my file? | 35% | yes, progress timeline |
| Did you receive my document? | 20% | yes, upload receipt |
| When is completion? | 12% | yes, appointment shown |
| Fees and deposits due | 10% | yes, provisional statement |
| Legal question on the deed | 15% | no, discussion with the notary |
| Other | 8% | partly |
In total, 60 to 70% of calls concern information the office already has and could display. At 4 minutes per call, 40 calls represent 2 h 40 a day, before counting the interruptions that break deed drafting.
What an effective notary client portal contains
A client portal is not a brochure website. It connects to the office's deed drafting software, reads the file status and turns it into clear steps: preliminary contract signed, cooling-off period, documents received, title and mortgage searches, pre-emption clearance, mortgage offer, draft deed sent, completion. The client uploads documents (ID, surveys, mortgage offer) into an encrypted space and the clerk validates them in one click.
| Option | Function | Market budget 2026 (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Core portal | secure login, progress timeline, messaging | EUR 20,000 to 28,000 |
| Document upload | upload, checks, automatic reminders | + EUR 4,000 to 7,000 |
| Deed software connector | sync of steps and appointments | + EUR 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Additional language | multilingual interface | + EUR 2,000 to 4,000 |
| Signing and video | booking, link to remote deed signing | + EUR 3,000 to 6,000 |
| Certified hosting and maintenance | backups, updates | EUR 150 to 400 per month |
At Kolonell, this kind of project is priced on our custom application grid: simple, 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (EUR 3,810 to 6,100) for a core portal without connector, medium, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (EUR 6,100 to 10,670) with document upload and synchronisation. Maintenance is offered at 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (EUR 53, 114 or 183). Extra languages and hosting are quoted on request.
Security, professional rules and integration
A notary office handles sensitive data: family situation, assets, financing. The portal must offer strong authentication (one-time code by SMS or app), encryption of documents at rest and in transit, hosting in your jurisdiction (EU for GDPR) and access logging. On integration, the main deed drafting packages provide exports or interfaces that the developer uses read-only: the portal never changes the deed, it only displays the file status. The project runs over 10 to 14 weeks.
Mini case study
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Laurent, partner in a notary office with 3 notaries and 14 staff, handles 420 sales a year. His team receives 40 calls a day, or 2 h 40 of staff time. With 60% fewer calls, the office recovers 1 h 36 a day, about 350 hours a year, valued at EUR 45 per loaded hour: EUR 15,750. Online document upload shortens file preparation by a week, bringing fee collection forward by the same amount. For a EUR 32,000 project with EUR 3,000 of annual maintenance, payback is around 20 months on recovered time alone, faster once cash flow is counted.
FAQ
Does the portal replace our deed drafting software?
No. It connects read-only and shows file progress. Deeds are still drafted and stored in your usual software, with no double entry for clerks.
Will older clients really use it?
Experience shows about 70% of buyers and 50% of sellers log in at least once. The rest keep calling, but overall volume drops by around 60%.
How long does implementation take?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks: 3 weeks of scoping with clerks, 6 to 8 weeks of development and 2 to 3 weeks of testing on 30 live files.
Is the data GDPR compliant?
Yes, with EU hosting, document encryption, defined retention periods and an access register. The office remains data controller and the provider acts as processor.
Can the interface be offered in other languages for foreign buyers?
Yes. In international resort markets, English usually comes first, followed by Italian, German or Russian. Each added language is quoted separately based on text volume.
Let's scope your project. We define with your clerks the steps shown, document upload and the connector to your deed software, for go-live in 10 to 14 weeks. 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.
