The transfer that has to go out again
The signing pack went out on Monday: the transfer, the contract, the mortgage deed and a covering letter explaining what to do. It came back on Thursday. The transfer is signed but the witness has not printed their name and address. The mortgage deed has been dated by the client, which it should not have been. One joint buyer has signed in the wrong box.
The pack goes out again, and exchange is pushed back a few days.
Why signing goes wrong
Clients sign deeds rarely, and the instructions arrive as a paragraph in a covering letter that applies to several different documents. The requirements vary: some documents are dated by the firm, some need a witness, the witness must meet certain conditions, and joint owners each sign in their own place.
Nobody checks the returned documents until the case handler opens the post, so problems are discovered late, often when time is short.
| Common signing error | Why it happens |
|---|---|
| Witness details incomplete | Witness not told what to fill in |
| Deed dated by the client | Instructions not clear on which documents to leave undated |
| Joint owner signs in the wrong place | Signature boxes not highlighted per person |
| Witness not suitable under your instructions | Client unaware of the requirements |
| Pages missing from the return | Client returns only the pages they signed |
What re-signing costs
Each re-sign costs days, postage and case handler time, and it can hold up exchange or completion for the whole chain. Clients are frustrated at doing it twice. Errors that slip through can surface as HM Land Registry requisitions or lender queries after completion, which is worse.
Case handlers also have to check every returned deed carefully, which takes time on busy days.
How we build signing packs and return checks
- Document-specific instructions: each document in the pack gets its own instruction sheet saying who signs, where, whether to date it and what the witness does, following your firm's and the lender's requirements.
- Highlighted signing places: signature, date and witness boxes are marked for each person, so joint owners can see their own places.
- Short online guide: the client gets a link to a short guide with pictures of a correctly completed example for each document, which they can look at before signing.
- Return by scan first: where your process allows, clients upload a scan or photo of the signed documents before posting the originals.
- Return check: the scan or the received original is checked for signatures in the right places, dates left blank where they should be, witness details complete and all pages present. Problems are listed for the case handler.
- Quick fix: if something is wrong, the client is told exactly what to correct before posting, which avoids a second round trip.
The case handler still checks and accepts every document. The tool catches the common, visible errors early.
What changes for clients and case handlers
Clients understand what to do for each document and can check their work against an example. Many errors are caught from a scan before the originals are posted. Case handlers review a check result rather than every box on every page. Fewer packs go out twice.
Exchange dates are less likely to slip because of paperwork.
Is this familiar?
- Signed documents often come back with errors.
- Signing instructions are a paragraph in a covering letter.
- Witnesses leave their details incomplete.
- Errors are found only when the originals arrive.
- Re-signing has delayed exchange or completion.