The way the Land Registry’s Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) system is being implemented is holding back the conveyancing sector, legal experts have warned.
An open letter from an industry coalition of e-signing platforms, qualified trust service providers, and legal and technology experts warns of “fundamental flaws” in the current system.
Conveyancers were invited to use QES at the end of 2025 as part of efforts to speed up the conveyancing process by letting documents be signed digitally rather than requiring a wet signature.
But the industry open letter warns that only five registrable dispositions have been made with QES in the first three months of this year.
Just five registrable dispositions were made with QES in Q1 2026. Even Scotland went into the World Cup with higher hopes.”
One of the main issues highlighted is that different types of signatures can’t be combined.
It means all parties in a transaction have to use the QES rather than allowing a mix of QES, conveyancer-certified electronic signature (CCES), mercury and wet ink signatures.
WEAK GUIDANCE
One of the authors of the letter, Richard Oliphant of RO Legal Consulting, says: “We believe that the Land Registry’s QES guidance is fundamentally flawed. It has produced just five registrable dispositions made with QES in Q1 2026. Even Scotland went into the World Cup with higher hopes.”
“Unless remedied, the guidance will frustrate HMLR’s, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government‘s and our own aspirations for QES and it will impede economic growth in the conveyancing sector.”
Other signatories on the letter include HomeOwner’s Passport and Thirdfort.
EXPLORING OPTIONS
A Land Registry spokesperson says: “QES usage is expected to increase as adoption of the technology grows.
“Land Registry has been engaging with the market and supporting providers as they develop their QES capability. Lenders have already demonstrated strong public support for QES, and we anticipate usage rising from single figures in the first six months to more than 300 by the end of August 2026.
“While we view full QES adoption as our strategic aim, we recognise that today there are barriers to full adoption including a lack of market providers and older working practices which still pervade.
“We are therefore open to exploring options, possibly for a limited time, that could enable quicker adoption without deviating from our strategic aims.”
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