X-Press Legal Services welcomes the move to further digitisation from the HM Land Registry (HMLR) with the announcement that this week it has started to accept ‘witnessed electronic signatures’: electronic signatures that enable an individual to sign legal documents, but which still require a witness who is present at the time to also sign the documents electronically.
The new guidance on the use of electronic signatures will enable the providers of electronic signatures to develop new affordable and accessible tools for conveyancers to use.
At X-Press we have invested heavily in our Intelligent Conveyancing Online System (ICOS) to digitise the property transaction process online to increase resilience against fraud and improve the ease of buying and selling. COVID-19 also prompted us to pivot the business model to offer most of our products, services and training online for clients and earlier this year we partnered with Thirdfort to offer remote id onboarding technology to enable our clients to complete property transactions digitally.
The removal of the last strict requirement to print and sign a paper document in a home buying or other property transaction will assist conveyancers who might still be working remotely as a result of the pandemic, speeding up the process and offering a secure alternative.
It’s great news that the industry is moving towards a completely digital, secure and more efficient conveyancing process. With further discussions already being held to explore the potential introduction of qualified electronic signatures as soon as practicable, at X-Press we’re in a great position to offer conveyancing data fit for an emerging digital age.
Lynne Lister, Managing Director