From Monday 4 May, temporary changes will be introduced when
verifying a person’s identity and for signing deeds. In
response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak HM Land
Registry is regularly reviewing its practice, policy and
procedures, taking guidance from customer feedback.
Identity verification
In addition to conveyancers and chartered legal executives,
verification can now be undertaken by people who work, or
have worked, in certain professions including:
- retired conveyancers, chartered legal executives,
solicitors and barristers
- bank officials and regulated financial advisers
- medical doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons
- chartered and certified accountants
- police officers and officers in the UK armed forces
- teachers and college and university teaching staff
- Members of Parliament and Welsh Assembly members
- UK civil servants of senior executive officer (SEO) grade
or above
- magistrates
The verification can also be done by way of a video call.
Further details on these changes will be available from 4 May
in our new practice guide 67A: temporary changes to HM Land
Registry’s evidence of identity requirements.
Signing deeds
HM Land Registry will accept deeds that have been signed
using the ‘Mercury signing approach’.
This means that, for land registration purposes, a signature
page will need to be signed in pen and witnessed in person
(not by a video call). The signature will then need to be
captured, with a scanner or a camera, to produce a PDF, JPEG
or other suitable copy of the signed signature page. Each
party sends a single email to their conveyancer to which is
attached the final agreed copy of the document and the copy
of the signed signature page.
This will be effective from Monday 4 May. Practice guide 8:
execution of deeds will be updated with more
information on Monday.
