Nationwide Building Society has become the first UK lender to allow a mortgage deed to be signed digitally and without the need for a witness.

The announcement comes after HM Land Registry decided to accept Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) in August 2025.

The building society collaborated with HM Land Registry, Your Conveyancer, and Veyco to make the new digital process possible, with the move supporting its wider plans to digitalise and speed up the homebuying process.

According to Nationwide, a QES offers better protection for consumers because it proves who signed the deed, better protects against tampering, and has the equivalent legal standing of a handwritten, witnessed signature.

Your Conveyancer became the first conveyancer to utilise the new electronic mortgage document, via their integration with technology provider, Veyco.

Nationwide revealed that it was used on a remortgage application, enabling the mortgage deed to be sent for registration "much more quickly," avoiding the time-consuming exchange of paper documents and the need for a wet-ink signature.

“Nationwide is committed to speeding up the homebuying process and reducing the stress and inconvenience that can come with buying a home,” said Henry Jordan, group director of mortgages, Nationwide. “Technology and collaboration are key to driving convenience and that is why we’re delighted to have worked with HM Land Registry, Your Conveyancer and Veyco to become the first mortgage lender to allow electronic signatures on mortgage deeds.”

Andy Roddy, deputy director – digital services at HM Land Registry said that the move marks a "significant step forward" for the UK property market and sets 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," he continued. “This achievement reflects the strength of collaboration across the sector and responds to the changing needs of our customers.

"Our Strategy 2025+ lays out how we aim to support the creation of systems to support services for property ownership and to strengthen buying and selling property to make it easier for all. By embracing QES, Nationwide is not only enhancing security and speeding up the process for homebuyers but also paving the way for wider adoption across the market."

Roddy added that the organisation looks forward to seeing other lenders follow in Nationwide's footsteps.

Nationwide recently announced an expanded partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will enable the organisation to accelerate innovation and deliver more personalised experiences to its 17 million customers whilst maintaining "industry-leading" security standards.

The agreement centres on AWS cloud-based services, including Amazon Connect, which powers Nationwide's contact centre and branch operations.

The technology underpins the building society's recently launched Call Checker service, designed to combat impersonation scams that accounted for 17 per cent of all fraud reported by Nationwide during 2024 and 2025.

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