Guidance

Sign your mortgage deed: guide for conveyancers

Updated 7 March 2023

Applies to England and Wales

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-sign-your-mortgage-deed/sign-your-mortgage-deed-guide-for-conveyancers

The Sign your mortgage deed service allows successful digital mortgage applications to update the register instantly without the need for review by a HM Land Registy caseworker.

Requirements to use Sign your mortgage deed

To use the Sign your mortgage deed service, you must:

Access Sign your mortgage deed

The lender or intermediary will either:

  • supply you with the e-MD reference so you can create the deed yourself, or
  • create the deed but send you the identifier to access the correct deed within the HM Land Registry network

Secure your SSL certificate

We store a token on your computer known as the SSL certificate (we use X509 certificates). Your unique SSL certificate will authenicate you and allow access to Business Gateway.

You must secure your certificate using security measures such as disk encryption and access controls. These measures will stop someone from impersonating you.

If your certificate is deleted or you think it has been compromised, you should contact HM Land Registry customer support.

Get your application right first time

Creating a deed

You should make sure the details used to create the deed are correct by checking the:

  • proprietor names (including middle names) match the register
  • date of birth is correct to allow an identity to be verified
  • mobile phone numbers are correct and different for each proprietor (the borrower will not be able to sign their mortgage deed if their mobile phone number is incorrect)
  • property address matches the A1 address on the register
  • address for service matches the B1 address on the register

Discharges

We cannot register a new digital mortgage charge if there’s an existing charge on the register. Your digital mortgage application will fall to manual review if you do not discharge an existing charge before sending your application. We may also be required to send a request for information (requisition) for the discharge.

Submit a digital mortgage application

Your application will not automate if:

  • there is more than one charge – you should send any disharges before sending your digital mortgage application
  • you submit extra documents – you should attach any extra documents to the original application
  • the eAP1 form contains notes
  • the fee quoted on the eAPI does not match our Registration Services fees

Mortgage lenders

See our guide for mortgage lenders and a full list of lenders able to use the Sign your mortgage deed service.

Contact

To find out more, email: digitalmortgages@landregistry.gov.uk.

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