A mortgage deed is one of the documents you'll need to sign when buying a home or remortgaging. It's also known as a legal charge, and it gives your lender security over your home. In practice, that means your lender has certain rights over the property if you can't keep up with your mortgage repayments.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
You’ll sign a mortgage deed in one of two situations.
- Buying a home with a mortgage
- Remortgaging your home, which means replacing your existing mortgage with a new one
If you’re remortgaging in England or Wales, you may be able to sign your mortgage deed digitally instead of signing it on paper.
This article is for general information only and isn’t personal financial advice.
Mortgage deeds explained
Your mortgage deed is the legal document that gives your lender security over your property. It identifies the property and the parties involved, while your mortgage offer and associated terms explain the borrowing arrangements, including the interest rate, repayment terms and any conditions.
Here are some of the key details to check in your mortgage paperwork.
- Conditions. If you can’t pay back the loan, the lender has a legal right to specific assets, which, in this case, is the home you are buying.
- Type of mortgage. Tells you what kind of mortgage you're taking out, such as a fixed-rate or variable-rate deal. More about mortgage types here.
- Repayment schedule. This sets out when you’ll pay back the loan and at what cost. It will outline:
- Length of mortgage. Generally speaking, the longer you spend paying back your mortgage, the less money you’ll pay a month, but the more money you will pay in total.
- Mortgage rates. That’s the amount of interest due on the amount that you owe. Depending on your mortgage deal, your rate will either be fixed (where it stays the same for a set amount of time) or variable (where the interest rate changes over time in line with the market interest rates). If you have a variable-rate mortgage, your monthly repayments could go up if interest rates rise.
Here’s why your mortgage deed matters
Your mortgage deed is important because it’s legally binding. Even though they inspect your financials in great detail before offering you a mortgage, your lender still needs to know that if things go belly up, they’re not left with nothing. The mortgage deed is what gives them security over your home if you can’t keep up with the repayments.
So what happens if life takes a turn and you can’t repay your mortgage as you intended to?
If you fall behind on repayments and can’t get things back on track, your lender may eventually be able to repossess and sell your home to recover what you owe.
Mortgage deed and mortgage offer. Are they the same?
Mortgage offers and mortgage deeds are two different steps in the same process.
First, you’ll get a mortgage offer (or offer of advance), to say that the lender has approved your mortgage application. This means they’ve got all the information they need about your finances and the property you have your eye on, and they’re ready to take things to the next level.
The mortgage offer will include your personal details, the property information, and the conditions of the loan they will offer you. There’s usually a time limit on how long you can take to accept the offer they’ve made.
Your conveyancer will review your mortgage offer and prepare a report for you which summarises the important bits. When they send you the report, they’ll also send you the mortgage deed to sign.
Signing your mortgage deed is a separate step from accepting your mortgage offer. You can sign it on paper and return it to your conveyancer, or digitally where your lender and conveyancer use HM Land Registry’s online service.
Either way, signing gives your lender security over the property, but it doesn’t mean everything is finished. Your conveyancer still has some legal work to do.
When does a mortgage deed end?
Your lender’s legal charge will normally remain registered against your property until the mortgage is paid off and the charge is discharged. If you remortgage with a different lender, your conveyancer will usually arrange for the existing charge to be removed and the new lender’s charge to be registered. The process varies across the UK, so your conveyancer can explain what happens in your case.
Steps of signing your mortgage deed
Here’s how to sign a paper mortgage deed. You’ll need a pen and a mortgage deed witness.
If you’re remortgaging in England or Wales, you might be able to sign digitally instead.
- Check that your details are correct. Go over:
- Your personal information
- The property details
- Agree that you’re happy with the terms and conditions of the mortgage. Read them in detail. Then read them again. Ask questions if you don’t understand anything.
- Sign the deed. This is an important legal step that allows your lender to take security over the property. Make sure you understand your mortgage offer and the terms before signing. Your conveyancer will explain when to sign and what happens next.
If anyone else’s name is on the mortgage, such as a partner or a parent, they’ll have to sign too.
Your conveyancer will send you the deed by post. You'll need to check it, sign it in front of a witness and send it back.
Who can be a witness on a mortgage deed?
- For a paper mortgage deed, you'll usually need someone to watch you sign in person and then sign as your witness. Your witness should be independent and able to confirm that they saw you sign. Your conveyancer can tell you who is acceptable, as lenders may have their own requirements.
- As a practical precaution, it's usually best to choose an adult who isn't a party to the mortgage, doesn't have an interest in the property and isn't a close family member. A neighbour or colleague may be suitable.
Can you sign a mortgage deed digitally?
Yes, you may be able to sign your mortgage deed digitally if you're remortgaging a property in England or Wales.
The service is limited to first-charge remortgages, where your existing mortgage is paid off and replaced in the same transaction. Second and later charges can't be signed this way. The rules are set out in HM Land Registry's Notice 1, which came into force on 1 June 2026. You can read more in its guide for homeowners and Notice 1.
If you're buying a home or your remortgage doesn't qualify, you'll usually need to sign a paper deed by hand in front of a witness. Other electronic signing methods may also be possible if your lender and conveyancer accept them.
Not sure if you can sign digitally when you remortgage online? Ask the solicitor or licensed conveyancer handling the legal side of your mortgage. Our guide on what conveyancing is explains what they do.
How does HM Land Registry’s Sign your mortgage deed service work?
Your conveyancer will sort out the digital deed and email you instructions. You then prove your identity online, check the document, and sign it by entering a code sent to your phone.
- You give your conveyancer your mobile number, email address and date of birth.
- Your conveyancer emails you instructions for the service, along with a borrower reference.
- You prove your identity using GOV.UK One Login. You’ll need a UK passport or driving licence, plus a current UK address.
- Next, you check the details of your mortgage deed in the HM Land Registry service and request a code.
- A code is texted to the mobile number your conveyancer holds. Your deed is signed the moment you enter it.
- Both your conveyancer and lender can track the deed's status online, and they'll be notified once everyone named on it has signed, as explained in the mortgage deed guide for homeowners.
You won't need a witness. Just make sure you're using the mobile number you gave your conveyancer. If it doesn't match, you won't be able to sign. You can find more details in the mortgage deed guide for conveyancers.
Who can sign a mortgage deed digitally?
It’s open to homeowners remortgaging a property in England or Wales, where the new mortgage replaces their existing one. Everyone named on the mortgage signs, but not necessarily at the same time.
Before you count on signing digitally, run through these checks. If you can’t use the service, ask your conveyancer what other options you have.
- Remortgages only. The service can’t be used for second or subsequent charges.
- Lender and conveyancer agreement required. Both need to use the service for you to sign this way. Your conveyancer handles the rest of the legal process of remortgaging.
- Identity verification. You’ll need GOV.UK One Login, along with a UK passport or driving licence and a current UK address.
- Joint borrowers. Each of you needs your own mobile number, and names have to match the property register exactly, middle names included. It’s a small detail that can get in the way.
Where your property is matters, too. The signing process isn’t the same across the UK.
- England and Wales. HM Land Registry’s service applies.
- Scotland. A mortgage is secured by a “standard security” registered with Registers of Scotland, not HM Land Registry. The Registers of Scotland electronic signatures guide says the Land Register is not yet open to electronic documents, so ask your solicitor how your deed will be signed.
- Northern Ireland. Land registration is run by Land & Property Services Northern Ireland (LPS), not HM Land Registry, so the Sign your mortgage deed service doesn’t apply. Your solicitor can tell you which signing methods are accepted.
Does your lender have to agree to a digital mortgage deed?
Yes. Both your new lender and your conveyancer have to use the Sign your mortgage deed service, so it isn’t something you can choose on your own.
Lenders have to agree a digital deed template with HM Land Registry before they can use the service. Not all lenders or conveyancers offer it yet.
HM Land Registry lists participating lenders and conveyancers in its guide for homeowners, but the list may be out of date. The guide was last updated on 7 March 2023.
Ask your conveyancer or lender early in your remortgage whether digital signing is on the table. If either doesn’t use the service, you’ll usually sign on paper in front of a witness, although another electronic method may still be an option.
Our guide on whether you need a solicitor to remortgage explains who handles which part of the legal work.
Are there other ways to sign a mortgage deed electronically?
Sometimes. HM Land Registry also accepts some other electronic signatures on mortgage deeds, but whether to use them is your lender and conveyancer’s call.
The guidance on electronic signatures accepted by HM Land Registry, updated on 15 June 2026, covers other ways to sign electronically. Here are three you might come across.
- Conveyancer-certified electronic signature. Your conveyancer sets up the signing on an e-signing platform, and you sign on screen with a witness physically present. A one-time passcode of at least six digits is texted to both you and your witness.
- “Mercury” signing. You sign the signature page by hand in front of a witness. It’s then scanned and attached to the final deed, and your conveyancer certifies it as a true copy.
- Qualified electronic signature (QES). This is the highest level of electronic signature, with extra checks to confirm that the person signing is who they say they are. HM Land Registry accepts QES on certain documents submitted for registration, but whether you can use one for your mortgage deed depends on your lender.
Your conveyancer can tell you which of these methods, if any, your lender will accept. More options may open up down the line. The HM Land Registry Business Plan 2026 includes plans to support wider use of qualified electronic signatures and develop a digital remortgage proof of concept in 2026/27.
Digital vs wet-ink mortgage deeds: what’s the difference?
A wet-ink deed means signing on paper in front of a witness and sending it back to your conveyancer. With HM Land Registry’s digital service, you prove your identity online and sign with a text code, so there’s no witness to arrange and nothing to post.
This table compares traditional paper signing with HM Land Registry’s Sign your mortgage deed service. Other electronic signing methods may be available, depending on your lender, conveyancer and the type of mortgage transaction.
| Aspect |
Wet-ink deed |
Digital deed: Sign your mortgage deed (Source: HM Land Registry, correct at Oct 2026) |
| Who can use it |
Home buyers and remortgagers across the UK |
Remortgages in England and Wales, where your lender and conveyancer use the service |
| How you sign |
By hand with a pen on the paper deed your conveyancer sends you |
By entering a code texted to your phone after proving your identity with GOV.UK One Login |
| Witness |
Needed: An independent adult who watches you sign |
Not needed |
| Returning the deed |
Post or hand the signed original back to your conveyancer |
Nothing to post. Your conveyancer and lender see the status online |
| Joint borrowers |
Each borrower signs, and every signature needs to be witnessed. The same witness can watch more than one person sign |
Each borrower signs separately with their own mobile number, not necessarily at the same time |
Information is correct at the time of writing and may change. Always check the latest terms and conditions before taking out a product.
So I’ve signed the mortgage deed. Now what?
Once you’ve signed the deed, whether on paper or digitally, there’s still a bit of legal work to do. What happens next depends on whether you’re buying a home or remortgaging.
Once your mortgage completes, you’ll need to make the repayments set out in your mortgage agreement.
If you’re buying a home, you’re getting close to the finish line. Now it’s time to get to work on sealing the deal.
- Exchanging contracts. Your conveyancer and the seller’s conveyancer exchange contracts, and from that point both you and the seller are legally committed to the sale. Backing out at this stage can come with serious financial consequences, and you’ll usually need to have your deposit ready by now.
- Getting ready for completion. Your conveyancer arranges the remaining money and sorts out the final paperwork.
- Completion day. This is when the purchase is completed and you get the keys to your new home.
For the full picture of that last stage, read our guide on what the completion date is.
On a remortgage, your conveyancer uses the new lender’s funds to pay off your old mortgage on completion and registers the new mortgage with HM Land Registry. Our guide to the remortgage legal process walks through each stage.
Options available to you will depend on lender criteria, affordability, and your personal circumstances.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Find out what you could be eligible for with Habito’s remortgage calculator, or compare mortgages with us.
Habito is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 714187).
Frequently asked questions
Can you sign a mortgage deed digitally if you’re buying a home?
No, not through HM Land Registry's Sign your mortgage deed service, which is limited to remortgages under the HM Land Registry rules on digital mortgages (Notice 1), in force from 1 June 2026.
When buying a home, you'll usually sign a paper mortgage deed in front of a witness. However, some lenders and conveyancers also accept electronic signatures. With a conveyancer-certified electronic signature, you sign digitally, but you still need a witness physically present, as set out in HM Land Registry's Practice Guide 82.
Your conveyancer can tell you which signing methods are available.
Do you need a witness to sign a mortgage deed digitally?
Not with HM Land Registry’s Sign your mortgage deed service. You confirm your identity online and sign with a text code instead.
If you’re using an e-signing platform set up by your conveyancer, it’s different, as you’ll still need someone there in person to witness your signature. For a paper deed, the usual rules on who can witness a mortgage deed apply. Read more about it in Who can be a witness on a mortgage deed.
Can you sign a mortgage deed digitally in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Not through HM Land Registry’s service, which is only available in England and Wales. In Scotland, mortgages are registered with Registers of Scotland as a “standard security”, and the Registers of Scotland electronic signatures guide says the Land Register isn’t yet open to electronic documents.
Northern Ireland’s land registration is handled by Land & Property Services Northern Ireland. Wherever you are, ask your solicitor how your mortgage deed will be signed.
Do joint borrowers have to sign a digital mortgage deed at the same time?
No. Everyone named on the mortgage deed needs to sign, but they don’t have to do it at the same time. Every borrower needs their own mobile number registered with the conveyancer, and your conveyancer and lender are told once everyone has signed.
What do you need to sign your mortgage deed online?
You’ll need a UK passport or driving licence to prove your identity online, a current UK address, the mobile number you gave your conveyancer, and the borrower reference they send you, according to the sign your mortgage deed online service.
Have all four to hand before you log in. If you're thinking about switching your mortgage, our guide to remortgaging online explains how the process works.
This article is based on guidance from organisations including MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice, and GOV.UK. Mortgage rules and legal processes can change, so it’s worth checking the latest information or speaking to a qualified adviser.
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