Nationwide Building Society has completed the first mortgage deed signed electronically without a witness requirement in the UK, marking a shift towards digital property transactions.
The transaction, processed as a remortgage application, was completed through collaboration between HM Land Registry, conveyancing firm Your Conveyancer, and electronic signature provider Veyco.
Qualified Electronic Signatures adopted
The process utilises Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES1), a secure identity-verified electronic signature format. HM Land Registry began accepting QES as part of mortgage applications in August 2025, enabling lenders to move away from paper-based documentation and wet-ink signatures.
Andy Roddy, Deputy Director of Digital Services at HM Land Registry, stated: “This is a significant step forward for the UK property market, setting a new standard for secure and convenient transactions. The adoption of QES marks a positive shift towards a more efficient, digital future for property professionals and consumers alike.”
Martin Bourke, Managing Director at Your Conveyancer, confirmed the firm was the first conveyancer to complete a mortgage using Qualified Electronic Signatures. He noted the innovation removes paper-based steps in transactions, enabling a fully digital journey for remortgage and purchase transactions.
Industry response
Edd Prosser-Jones, Partnerships Director at Veyco, described the introduction of QES into lender workflows as removing friction for borrowers whilst addressing fraud risk and uncertainty for lenders on legal charge documents.
Nicholas Mendes, Mortgage Technical Manager at broker John Charcol, commented that the system should eliminate last-minute delays caused by physical document handling. He emphasised that identity checks and audit trails behind Qualified Electronic Signatures strengthen protection around mortgage documentation, adding that “the key now is adoption”.
The digital mortgage deed system is expected to reduce processing times by eliminating the exchange of paper documents and enabling faster registration with HM Land Registry. Whether other lenders will adopt the technology remains to be seen.
