Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Standard 2018 – LINZS20018

This standard sets ‘safe harbour’ requirements to satisfy a practitioner’s obligations as to (a) client authority and legal capacity, and (b) verifying client identity, in the e-dealing environment. The purpose is to mitigate against wrongful or fraudulent land transactions.

This standard sets out obligations on practitioners to:

• Ensure they have proper authority from their client;
• Take reasonable steps to ensure their client has legal capacity;
• Verify the identity of their client; and
• Retain the evidence they have relied on to support the certification.

It is made under section 236 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 by the Registrar- General of Land.

The Registrar-General has issued interim guidance related to this Standard and the use of audio-visual methods to complete client A&I forms and ID verification when working remotely.

Interim guidance on completing client A&I forms and ID verification when working remotely