Digital Discharge Service for lenders

What the Digital Discharge Service is

The Digital Discharge Service (DDS) removes the need to draft and sign a paper discharge deed. Digital discharges of standard securities registered on the Land Register can be created using RLP by solicitors (or other approved users).

How it works

Solicitors can log in and create an application to discharge the whole of a standard security registered on the Land Register over a single title.

The application is sent directly to the lender to review the discharge details through their approval queue, accessible via our business services.

What happens if the discharge is approved

If approved, lenders sign the discharge deed with a digital signature using a digital signing card that uses secure Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology.

This is also known as the PKI card.

This discharge is then submitted directly to RoS for registration.

What happens if the lender declines the discharge

If there is an issue, the lender can decline the discharge request via the PKI card and return it to the solicitor with an explanation.

Benefits

Compared with the paper-based service, DDS provides substantial benefits such as:

• delivering the highest level of security, reducing fraud risk through individual logins and digital signatures
• a simple digital system that efficiently speeds up the process by linking with RoS data and systems, helping to reduce errors

DDS limitations

DDS cannot be used where:

• the security is registered over multiple titles
• the title over which the security is registered has not yet completed First Registration onto the Land Register
• the security has been assigned to another lender via a registered Deed of Assignation
• only part of the security is to be discharged

In these situations, a solicitor will need to send the lender a discharge deed to be signed and returned for submission.

Apply for a digital signing card

Your organisation’s primary contact must make a request for a colleague to be issued a digital signing card.

Request a digital signing card

Apply to use DDS as a lender

If you are a lender and wish to use DDS, you can register to access our business services and then select 'Digital Discharges'.

You can view a list of participating lenders.