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Land Registry e-signature rollout sees just one QES used in first three months, data reveals

The data, uncovered by Novus Strategy, highlighted a configuration and process challenge across the sector, rather than a lack of available technology.

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Land Registry e-signature rollout sees just one QES used in first three months, data reveals
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HM Land Registry recorded the use of just one qualified electronic signature (QES) in the three months after inviting conveyancers to begin using the technology, analysis from Novus Strategy has revealed.

The data highlighted a configuration and process challenge across the sector, rather than a lack of available technology.

HM Land Registry opened the door to the use of QES at the start of August, allowing conveyancers to apply them to charges, transfers and assents.

In the three months that followed, the Land Registry received 1,194,439 applications of all types from 5,964 firms.

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Despite this volume, only a single application made use of a QES.

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Novus Strategy said the finding underlines the gap between the availability of digital tools and the industry’s readiness to adopt them at scale.

While QES represents a significant opportunity to modernise transactions, it is dependent on firms first redesigning customer journeys and reconfiguring operational processes.

The consultancy argued that greater use of QES would in fact be a sign that wider structural changes had already taken place, rather than a starting point for transformation.

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Those changes are encapsulated in the concept of Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI), of which QES is just one component.

HDI focuses on connecting conveyancers, lenders, brokers and agents through shared ecosystems, trust frameworks and interoperable data standards.

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When approached in this way, Novus Strategy said meaningful progress can be made in reducing friction and shortening the time between offer and completion, even in a sector shaped heavily by risk, compliance and KYC requirements.

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Claire Van der Zant, CEO of Novus Strategy, said: “We were surprised by the lack of uptake but there are practical reasons why adoption would be constrained.

“As consumers, we all understand what an e-signature is and how user-friendly this technology can be. However, for businesses in this space, the challenge is bigger than simply adopting new tools and adjusting internal processes.

“In the case of QES, adoption is impossible without an interoperable digital ID solution. And they will only work effectively alongside wider changes that reduce the friction in the data handoffs between different actors in the transaction.”

She added: “Conveyancers would point out there’s very little out there in the way of integrated solutions for QES at the moment, and they’d be right. There are almost no QES solutions that combine with that essential digital ID component.

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“And more broadly, they need a strategy that enables data interoperability and trust frameworks beyond their vertical.

“This is what’s meant by Horizontal Digital Integration, and it involves redesigning the customer journey and reimagining how to connect with the wider ecosystem, solving issues like interoperability, trust and liability simultaneously.”

Van der Zant concluded: “So digitisation alone isn’t the answer. QES is now available. To fully leverage this opportunity, industry needs to reframe strategies to look left and right of their part of the transaction, embracing HDI as the key framework to unlock opportunities like QES to bring efficiency into the home buying and selling journey.

“It’s encouraging that the Government is introducing digital ways of working, but achieving that adoption requires a different approach.”

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