Quebec real estate glossary · French to English
Acte de vente = Deed of sale (act of sale in the Civil Code). Everyday English says deed of sale. The English Civil Code of Quebec says act of sale. Both name the notarial document that transfers ownership.
En bref, en français : « Acte de vente » se dit deed of sale dans l'usage courant. Le Code civil du Québec, en version anglaise, écrit plutôt act of sale.
Educaloi, explaining the notary's role in English, writes that the notary "draws up the deed of sale based on the accepted offer to purchase". That is the phrase you will hear from your notary and your banker.
The official English version of the Civil Code of Quebec uses act of sale. Both are correct; the second is simply the drafting convention of the Code.
What the document does
The promise to purchase commits the parties. The deed of sale is what actually transfers ownership, and it is a notarial act, drawn up by a notary and published in the Land Register.
What the notary verifies before signing
- Title, and whether anything is registered against the property.
- The hypothec, and the discharge of the seller's existing one.
- Municipal and school taxes, and their adjustment between the parties.
- The certificate of location and what it reveals.
Say it in a sentence
The word on its own is rarely the problem. These are the sentences you will actually hear, and what they become in English.
| Vous entendrez | In English |
|---|---|
| La signature de l'acte de vente est le 15 novembre. | The deed of sale is signed on November 15. |
| Le notaire a préparé le projet d'acte. | The notary prepared the draft deed. |
| L'acte a été publié au registre foncier. | The act was published in the Land Register. |
The mistake we see most often
The mistake is booking the move for the same morning. The deed of sale is signed at the notary, funds are released afterward, and occupancy is whatever the promise to purchase says it is, not whatever the calendar suggests. Read the occupancy date on the promise, and plan the truck around that date rather than around the signature.
Where this fits in a Quebec transaction
Buying or selling in Quebec means signing documents that exist in both languages, written under civil law rather than common law. A word-for-word translation is sometimes right and sometimes actively misleading. The full list is in our Quebec real estate glossary, French to English.
Related terms
Questions we get asked
Is it deed of sale or act of sale?
Both. Deed of sale is the everyday English used by notaries and lenders in Quebec; act of sale is the term in the official English version of the Civil Code.
Who prepares the deed of sale?
A notary. In Quebec the sale of an immovable is done by notarial act, and the notary also handles publication in the Land Register.
Is the deed of sale the same as the promise to purchase?
No. The promise to purchase commits the parties. The deed of sale, signed later before the notary, is what transfers ownership.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. We work in French and in English. Tell us about your project.