How Secured Signing supports Property Lawyers

Why Video Signing Matters header

Stuck between LINZ compliance and clients who can’t make it to your office? This blog is your comprehensive guide to Secured Signing’s Video Signing and Remote Witnessing Platform. We cover everything lawyers need to know about streamlining the signing process and confidently meeting New Zealand’s property law requirements, no matter where your client is. 

 

In property law, every detail matters — especially when it comes to verifying client identity. The LINZ 2024 E-Dealing Guideline, outlined under LINZS01308, and as part of the Authority and Identity Requirements for the E-Dealing Standard 2024, now outlines that a legal practitioner’s obligations are to: 

  • obtain authority from the party they are acting for 
  • take reasonable steps to ensure the party has the legal capacity to give that authority, and 
  • take reasonable steps to confirm the party’s identity. 

But what happens when your client can’t easily make it to the office? 

Why Secured Signing’s Video Signing with ID Verification Matters for Property Lawyers 

Secured Signing’s Video Signing combined with ID Verification simplifies the process by combining ID verification, on-camera witnessing, a live visual-id check, a audio-visual recording of the meeting, and a complete documented audit trail that fully satisfies LINZ requirements. 

ID Verification can be used to confirm party’s identity by checking a valid ID document, like New Zealand Driver’s License or Passport, screening parties before they continue to the online signing meeting. 

This helps in satisfying the requirements to take reasonable steps to confirm the party’s identity, and what happens next with a Video Signing meeting provides you with an additional layer of compliance. 

 

By hosting a Video Signing meeting, you are able to: 

  1. Meet with the parties related to the property documents you are trying to execute 
  2. Before signing the document, perform a secondary check of the party’s identities by using Secured Signing’s “Live Visual ID Check” feature during the meeting. This allows the legal practitioner to ask each signer to present their ID during the meeting and compare it with the results from the ID Verification conducted prior to the meeting.  
  3. Once you are satisfied that all parties are who they say they are, as the host, you are able to pass the signing process on to each individual and get them to sign the document(s). 

How Secured Signing provides reasonable steps to confirm identity for property documentation 

So, by using the Secured Signing platform with Video Signing and ID Verification, you can build a step-by-step process that protects you and your firm and ensures that all compliance aspects are met before executing a property-related transaction document.

 

To summarise:

Having the party present 

You can achieve this with our Video Signing online meetings by having an “audio-visual link to the practitioner” as you, the host. 

Identifying the party by providing acceptable photo identification that is satisfactory to the practitioner 

Completing the ID Verification process with a valid photo ID and getting a “PASS” mark. 

Obtaining a connecting document as set out in clause 10  

As necessary if the transaction is a high-risk transaction or not. Again, as in 2, by capturing the ID document during the ID Verification process, you can meet this requirement. 

Reconciling any name discrepancies as set out in clause 11 as necessary 

It is important to keep this in mind as the host or legal practitioner if you notice any discrepancies in the name recorded on the record of title, to ensure these are reconciled BEFORE completing the video signing meeting.

If you need an additional level of trust, our ID Verification has an added level of security by ensuring “Name Match” with the person invited to sign AND the ID presented during ID Verification Match. If they do not match, you can choose to stall or end the signing process with this party until the names are reconciled.

There are also other process related features built into Secured Signing like “editing the signing participants” name before the signing process. 

Making further enquiries to confirm the veracity of the transaction as set out in clause 12. 

Lastly, by verifying the parties involved in the video signing meeting, and with the added ID Visual Check. If needed, you can provide the file note that outlines “the steps taken to independently confirm the identity of the client” as part of the overall signing process. 

Everything happens seamlessly within one secure platform — no need to set up Zoom or Teams. The signing, recording, and verification all occur directly in your browser and can even be completed on a mobile phone. 

If you are unsure, you can read more about this topic on the Land Information New Zealand site here. Many of the A&I forms will have a section that outlines the criteria like this Private Individual Client Authority and Instruction (A&I) form 

This digital record provides robust protection for both lawyer and client, ensuring transparency and accountability long after the transaction is complete.

Future-Ready Legal Practice

If your firm handles property transactions, it’s time to embrace a solution that keeps you compliant, efficient, and ahead of the curve.

With Video Signing and Realify by Secured Signing, another layer of fraud protection, you can confidently verify, sign, and complete property deals — securely and seamlessly — from anywhere.

Because in a digital world, trust starts with certainty.