Fully Digital Conveyancing Transactions using E-Signatures from 6th April 2018
The Government has approved changes to the Land Registration Rules that will allow for the introduction of fully digital conveyancing documents with e-signatures to be used for land transactions and land registration from 6th April 2018.
As a result of the widespread support for last years Proposals to amend the Land Registration Rules 2003, the Government intends to proceed with all the proposed rule changes.
In a Government press release the Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar Graham Farrant said:
“Our customers are central to everything we do and we want to make dealing with us quicker and simpler by providing more services through digital technology. These changes are an important enabler for our digital transformation and I want to thank our customers for their positive responses to the consultation.”
According to the response document:
"HMLR will be taking on some additional risk as a result of being a trust service provider for the purpose of e-signatures. The liability is set out in EU Regulation 210/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions."
The changes were central to HM Land Registry’s ambition to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data as outlined in its business strategy last year, and is a great step forward in the Digital Street vision..