Electronic signatures: More secure
HM Land Registry (HMLR) will now accept deeds signed with qualified electronic signatures (QESs) and is encouraging lawyers and their clients to start using them.
“By removing the need for a third party to witness the execution of a deed, replacing this step with a highly secure electronic signature, the technology affords greater flexibility and simplicity,” it said.
“The electronic signature also offers greater security and assurance for everyone involved in a property transaction.”
HMLR said it wanted to support interested lawyers, their clients and lenders.
Andy Roddy, HMLR’s deputy director – digital services, said: “We are excited to enable our customers the option to use qualified electronic signatures in their land registration applications.
“This marks another major step forward in our ongoing digital transformation, as we keep pace with – and meet the needs of – our most technologically advanced customers. We hope all of our customers will be able to benefit from this new and valuable technology.”
Stephen Ward, director of strategy and external relations at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), said: “This is a very welcome step that helps to make a fully digital conveyancing process easier to achieve, with all the improvements to confidence and speed that will bring.”
Speaking before the announcement at a roundtable organised by the CLC, Mike Harlow, HMLR’s deputy chief executive and director of customer strategy, talked about how it had been testing QESs. “They are super simple for the consumer to use and more secure for everyone,” he said. There are fewer things to go wrong and more certainty as to who signed what.”
To really make this fly, said Sarah Sargent, head of residential property at Leeds-based solicitors’ firm Lupton Fawcett and a member of the Law Society Council, QESs needed to be approved for mortgage deeds.
Epi Pearce, risk manager (property risk) at Nationwide Building Society, confirmed that the major lenders were working on standardising the mortgage deed and “then we will be helping with the communication on QES to bring it out into the market. We are very much waving the QES flag”.
Any HMLR customers interested in using QESs should email: QES@landregistry.gov.uk
