Land Registry Changes To Property Transactions During Coronavirus
In his latest blog, Matt Rice discusses some of the temporary changes that the Land Registry have introduced….
During the last 12 months the Land Registry has made several temporary changes to its rules in a bid to address some of the constraints lockdown has had on the conveyancing process.
These temporary changes include:
- Extending the list of people who can verify a person’s identity to include people who work in particular professions. They include medical doctors, dentists, teachers and bank officials. The person verifying the identity and the person whose identity is being verified must not be related to each other in any way.
- Allowing verification of identity by video call. Conveyancers only need to take a screenshot photograph of the person whose identity is being verified.
- Completing specific forms depending on whether a conveyancer or non-conveyancer is verifying identity, and also whether the identity being verified is a private individual or a corporate body.
- An electronic image of the fully signed signature page of a deed, which can be taken using a scanner or a camera to produce a PDF, JPEG or other suitable copy (known as “mercury signing”). Previously the full hard copy of the transaction including all wet-ink signatures was required. However, Where the law requires a deed to be signed “in the presence of a witness”, the Land Registry will continue to require a witness to be physically present at the moment of signing. A person can effectively witness a signature through a glass panel or window, as long as they can clearly see the signature being made.
These changes have been necessary as a consequence of social distancing requirements during the coronavirus pandemic but also to safeguard against any risk of fraud.
The Land Registry registers the ownership of land and property in England and Wales. Anyone buying or selling land or property, or taking out a mortgage, must apply to the Land Registry to register the disposition.
These are all temporary measures to address the highly unusual current situation, and the Land Registry has indicated that it will continue to review the changes until such time as they are no longer necessary.
If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to contact me on freephone 0800 011 6666 or via email at legal@timms-law.com.
Matt Rice
April 2021