Nationwide Building Society has introduced a landmark digital mortgage signing system, becoming the first UK lender to accept legally binding electronic signatures without requiring a physical witness. The initiative, which began with a completed remortgage using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), follows regulatory approval from HM Land Registry granted in August 2025.
Addressing Transaction Delays
The building society is targeting a persistent bottleneck in UK property transactions, where the final mortgage deed has remained a paper-based requirement despite other steps moving online. Nationwide believes its QES system could significantly reduce delays around contract exchange and registration, processes that frequently slow down completions. This development arrives as industry data shows over 30% of housing deals now take more than 17 weeks on average.
Henry Jordan, Nationwide's group director of mortgages, stated the society aims to "accelerate the homebuying process and reduce the stress and inconvenience" associated with traditional paperwork. Borrowers now have the digital option—provided their solicitor or conveyancer supports the QES technology.
Adoption Hurdles Remain
Despite the technological breakthrough, widespread implementation faces challenges. Industry observers note that adoption by law firms and conveyancers represents the critical next step. Data obtained through a freedom of information request revealed that only a single QES submission was recorded in the three months following the Land Registry's initial approval, suggesting uptake may be gradual.
Nicholas Mendes, mortgage technical manager at broker John Charcol, emphasized that "the key now is adoption" across the sector. The process requires collaboration between lenders, conveyancers like Your Conveyancer, and technology providers such as e-signature firm Veyco.
Martin Bourke, managing director at Your Conveyancer, described the QES implementation as evidence of what's possible when firms collaborate to modernize processes, calling it the elimination of "one of the final paper hurdles." Meanwhile, HM Land Registry deputy director Andy Roddy expressed hope that other lenders would follow Nationwide's lead in raising security standards for digital transactions.
While digital deed signing has existed in various forms since at least 2019—when HM Land Registry reported 1,000 registered digital remortgage deeds involving lenders like HSBC and Coventry Building Society—Nationwide's system represents the first comprehensive unwitnessed solution from a major UK lender.
