Videosign has welcomed the Land Registry’s decision to accept Qualified Electronic Signatures for residential and commercial property sales documentation in England and Wales.
In this blog we’ll break down what this means and why it’s important…
What’s happened?
The Land Registry has encouraged conveyancers to start submitting applications including documents signed using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) tool.
The organisation – which holds records of land and property sold in England and Wales – says that the change removes the need for a third party to witness the execution of a deed, offering greater flexibility and simplicity to purchasers and legal professionals.
Announcing the change, HM Land Registry’s Deputy Director – Digital Services Andy Roddy 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.”
What’s a Qualified Electronic Signature?
Qualified Electronic Signatures are the most secure form of electronic signature.
These signatures come with an encrypted digital certificate providing secure, tamper-proof evidence of who signed, and how.
This highly-secure method ensures that the document hasn’t been tampered with, and verifies that it belongs to the sender.
Why is this important?
Using qualified electronic signatures offers greater security and assurance for everyone involved in a property transaction.
It means that transactions can be carried out entirely digitally, with no need to produce paper documents or go through the time-consuming process of witnessing signatures in person.
Security features built into the signatures mean identities of all parties can be proved beyond doubt using technology that is far less vulnerable to fraud than traditional pen-and-ink.
Here at Videosign, we think this is a massive step forward, making property transactions more efficient and more secure than ever.
More importantly, this development highlights the growing momentum behind adoption of electronic signatures.
For most of us, buying property will be the biggest and most important transaction that we will make in our lives.
The fact that the Government is encouraging use of Qualified Electronic Signatures for these all-important processes is a clear indication that signing online is destined to become the norm.
Book a demo
We predicted the rise of digital signatures several years ago and created our software to create the ultimate online signing experience.
Videosign allows users to meet online, verify identities using facial recognition or banking data, create and edit documents, and sign them securely using secure digital signatures.
Our ‘eIDAS-Qualified’ signatures meet the highest European standards, providing all parties with security and confidence.
So as well as providing your electronic signatures, we can help you to improve your workflows and provide a simple and efficient service to your clients.
We welcome the Land Registry’s new approach to Qualified Electronic Signatures, and are working to confirm the details to ensure our service meets their requirements.
Want to know more? Book a demo today!
Further information
You can find out more about the latest Land Registry rules for electronic signatures here.
