Why does this form stay in use? I know of no stamp will ever fit in that tiny spot.
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Aggravates me too. I have had one from Arizona that was similar to this as well as Washington State, and one from another state I don’t recall. The notary seal area is ridiculously small. When I called title about the area on the Arizona form they indicated to just stamp over the text above, and that it was “normal” for them to do so. The others want you to try and fit it into a small area with no overlap. I think part of the problem is the Ttile companies or Attorneys that create these forms have never had to notarize the forms themselves. In Tennessee where I am the smallest stamp I believe we can have is 1 and 5/8 inches and it has to be round. It makes it difficult in some cases to fit it in the seal area. I have had to add a loose certificate before becasue of the area being to small for my stamp.
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I’m glad I don’t stand alone in my frustration.
I write “see below” in the space for a stamp and I stamp at the bottom of that form. I see packages with that affidavit all the time, so I started doing it that way from the beginning after clearing it with title and it’s never been rejected.
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Frustrating but we have a couple options when this happens. We can either see if our notary stamp will fit into the white space below (if there is any blank white space on the document) or we can write SEE ATTACHED NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE or words to that effect, and then attach the notarial certificate to the document.
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Agreed. I prefer to apply my notary stamp in the white space at the bottom of this document than attach a separate notarial certificate.
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Thats what I do also . I just had to make fun of this form though.
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I agree. I can hardly fit my name in it and then they say not to stamp within 1” of the edge of the paper so I really don’t have a choice. The clients always seem to get a kick out of the crazy things like that. I just automatically attach and add my statement.
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It seems like once a particular form is in a package, it stays there forever, even if it’s totally misaligned for its purpose. We notaries have to adjust and adapt to whatever they send us, but the lenders and title companies use the same outdated and poorly designed forms forever without correcting whatever the problem is.
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I always just put one diagonal line through it, initial and print “see attached” and attach my own form.
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It’s one of the things I like about RON. The platform allows me to adjust the seal to fit the space. Same thing with the font.
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That totally works 
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Fortunately, for us, our laws require the signature of a notary on a deed or a deed of trust to record ownership of real property. Not counting the note, have you ever wondered what happens to all the other documents affectionately called junk docs that get signed and notarized in the process of loaning money for the purchase or sale of real property? The repository for all that data must be huge, and is it even searchable? I know for a fact that my state requires me, The Notary, to staple a notarized attachment to a document which would guarantee it to be destroyed by a high-speed copier. To prevent that from happening, I use a jurat stamp right on top of the noncompliant wording and stamp wherever it’s convenient. I’ve never had a complaint because it’s junk docs.
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It’s typically the title docs that have all of the junk notarizations. Are these “really” necessary or do they have everything notarized simply because they can?
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Well from my point of view as a notary in Washington, I am not the authority or qualified to determine whether a document notarization is necessary or not. If someone asks for a specific notarization and I can lawfully comply, I do it. (edit: My reasoning: I do not ever want to be accused of providing legal advice.)
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I, as well, always notarize everything that calls for it. I just wonder why they need all of these documents notarized (like Homeowners Association Affidavit), and forms like that.
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I can answer your questions, to notarize is to legalize. I’m surprised we haven’t come to a point where every document must be notarized.
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Here in Washington state, we have a laws regarding minimum size/font of our notary stamp:
In person notarization: WAC 308-30-070:
RON: WAC 308-30-180:
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I don’t understand what size of stamp has to do with this particular notarization. The only authority that’s concerned about the size of the stamp is the clerk at the county recorder’s office who will never see a junk doc anyway.
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I hear you, Joe. The size issue becomes the notary’s issue later down the road if title rejects it and funding is delayed, or someone complains, or if there is a lawsuit to challenge the notarization. Regardless of understanding, it’s notary law in Washington and for the newbies in this forum, I try to make a point of calling out our state laws. It would be convenient to just shrink to fit in, but can only do so if it still complies with the state law too. Cheers
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