LINZ News

News

March figures for electronic lodgements

• A total of 1,073 law firms out of a possible 1,380 lodged an e-dealing in March. Forty of those firms lodging were first time users.
• The e-dealing share of total e-dealing-capable lodgements sat at 93% in February (up 13 percentage points from February).
• A total of 186 survey firms out of a possible 340 lodged an e-survey in March. Eight of those firms lodging were first time users.
• The e-survey share of total survey lodgements was 64.9% for March (down 0.9 percentage points from February).

1 May arrives for the conveyancing profession

Next week we take the first step on our journey to 100% e-lodgement. On 1 May it will be mandatory to lodge all discharges through e-dealing.

LINZ would like to thank the conveyancing profession for all their hard work and effort that has helped us reach this point and made the transition process easier.

Other dates coming up are:

• Mid June 2007 - Release 2.9
• 1 August 2007 - Next mandatory date for Mortgages and Transfers

As promised, help and support will be available for these changes including the online practise tools, quick reference cards, user guides and release updates. In Landonline, you will be able to access online wizards and Help.

For specific conveyancing information on Release 2.9, read the updated notes on the Landonline website. In addition, your monthly usage emails will be a good source of information in the future so keep these for reference.

If you have any questions about what these dates will mean for you or how you can prepare, call us on 0800 665 463 (select option 1), or visit the Landonline website.

Otago and Southland postal lodgements to be processed in Christchurch

LINZ has moved postal lodgement processing for the Otago/Southland land districts from the Dunedin Processing Centre to the Christchurch Processing Centre.

To ensure a faster turnaround, customers should now post their Otago/Southland lodgements directly to the Christchurch Processing Centre. The address is as follows:

Christchurch Processing Centre
Private Bag 4721
Christchurch 8140

Counter lodgements will continue to be processed in Dunedin.

0800 ONLINE changes in place

Landonline customers who have called 0800 ONLINE (665 463) for technical and application support since Monday 16 April will have found it simpler and quicker.

Instead of selecting two options to receive the assistance they need, customers now only have to select one.

The new call structure is as follows:

Service	Option
e-dealing support	Press 1
e-survey and Territorial Authority support	Press 2
e-search support	Press 3
Landonline application, technology, Digital Certificates and becoming a customer	Press 4
Topographic services, hydrographic services, Geographic Board and place name requests	Press 5
Manual lodgement support	Press 6
Finance and all other enquiries	Press 7

Any automatic prompts programmed into your telephone will need to be changed to reflect the new structure.

Landonline

Countdown to Release 2.9

The rollout date for the latest Landonline system update has been confirmed for mid June.

"Release 2.9 is the first of several major updates coming up over the next 18 months," said Katrina Jacobsen, Manager Customers. "These releases are the main way LINZ will deliver added functionality as well as system maintenance and enhancements as we make the journey to 100% e-lodgement."

For surveyors, Release 2.9 primarily focuses on making e-survey easier. In particular, the plan generation tool will receive a number of improvements.

A key benefit for conveyancers within this release will be the ability to 'split' fees between different firms.

Updated information on Release 2.9 for surveyors and conveyancers is available on the Landonline website.

New product and service fees from 1 September 2007

Proposed new fees for survey and title products and services are expected to come into effect on 1 September 2007.

LINZ's survey and title processing operates on a cost recovery model and the fees are being adjusted to ensure they match the actual costs of the services provided. Although LINZ carries out an annual review of fees for survey and title products and services, these have remained static and at a discounted rate since 2004 to encourage uptake of e-dealing and e-survey.

Since July 2004, Landonline customers have benefited from a 40% discount on electronic lodgement fees (refer June 2004 Landwrap). For example, the lodgement fee for electronic title instruments has been $21 down from $36; and the base fee for lodging a survey electronically has been $107 down from $178.

LINZ has involved representation from the New Zealand Law Society and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors in the fees and charges working party, and wider consultation with these organisations will occur in May.

Once finalised, the new survey and title fee structure will be communicated to customers via Landwrap and information sent directly to firms.

The intention is that some fees will be simplified for products such as searches and cross lease plans. It is also intended that the survey resubmission fee be simplified with a single fee instead of separate fees for each requisition item.

As LINZ's fees and charges are set by regulation, the amendments will be officially published one month before coming into effect on 1 September 2007.

e-survey

Paper plans and preparing for 1 September

With five months to go, survey firms are gearing up to make the transition from paper to electronic lodgement. More firms are using e-survey and in March, 65% of surveys were lodged through e-survey.

However, surveyors up and down the country have survey plans that have been started on paper but for one reason or another haven't yet been lodged. As 1 September approaches, it is important to think about what you can do with these datasets to prepare for the transition from paper to electronic lodgement.

After 1 September, all cadastral surveys will need to be submitted through e-survey and there will only be rare exceptions. Circumstances may exist where it is outside your control (or your client's) to lodge plans through e-survey such as an Environment Court order, or an unusually complicated dataset that cannot be accommodated through e-survey. In these cases, an exception will need to be sought in writing (with any supporting evidence) from the National Processing Manager. The survey will need to be submitted as a tif file or on a CD.

With this in mind, surveyors need to think about how to deal with surveys that have already been started on paper. Over the next five months, talk to your clients and check what needs to be done before 1 September. You may be able to lodge some paper plans prior to this date, however, those that cannot be lodged by then should be moved to e-survey now.

Surveyors should not request a pre-allocated manual plan number if the survey cannot be lodged before 1 September. If you have a paper plan you want to move to e-survey now, you will need to request an e-survey plan number as they have a different number sequence.

LINZ is working with survey firms to make the transition process as easy as possible. Firms will have recently received a detailed letter on the process after 1 September. For more guidance on how to manage the transition from paper to e-survey, visit the Landonline website or call our Customer Support team on 0800 665 463 (select option 2).

e-survey tips, hints and FAQs

The e-survey Tips, Hints and FAQs on the Landonline website are continually being refined and added to.

Are you using Landonline's online Help?

From your Workspace, or anywhere in the Landonline application, you can access a wide range of Help topics by simply pressing F1.

Step by step instructions are included for all Landonline applications such as e-survey, TA e-certification and e-dealing. The F1 key is especially useful to bring up specific help for the screen(s) you are currently working in e.g. when searching for a title or survey.

Designed to supplement Landonline user guides and 0800 support, give Help a try next time you're doing something new or just needing a refresher.

To display Help, you can:

• Press F1 to display Help for the current screen
• Click ? (Help) in Landonline Workspace
• Select Help | Landonline Help Topics

Note that the Help screen displays on top of all other screens.

Aspatial parcel capture for Stage Unit Development Plans

The Special Tasks section of the Landonline website now includes a handy guide to capturing Stage Unit Development Plans. The guide steps you through the correct e-survey capture process.

Are you using the e-survey tools and tips?

There is a wealth of self-help information on the Landonline website to assist with completing e-surveys.

The e-survey Tips, Hints & Training Tools section includes links to the full online e-survey user guide, quick reference cards, quick links and training tools. The comprehensive Landonline Education Centre can be accessed by searching any topic.

e-dealing

Wellington firms working together to meet the first deadline

National statistics for e-dealing use are at an all time high, reaching 93% in March. Wellington retains its place in the top three performing regions (along with Dunedin and Christchurch) with e-dealing use at almost 100%.

This level of usage can only be achieved when firms on both sides of a transaction use e-dealing and work together. Partner Kathy Stringfellow and legal executive Jenny Jackson at the Wellington firm Tripe Matthews Fiest share their experience with Landonline.

Tripe Matthews Fiest is positive about e-dealing and has planned well in advance for the 1 May 2007 deadline. The firm's attitude to the change has been reflected in their usage, which has increased steadily to 85% in March.

Kathy said "we got on with it and once underway, we realised some of the benefits. Where we can use e-dealing we do, but we can be hampered by other people who can't or won't use e-dealing."

Sharon Cottrell, General Manager Customer Services, acknowledges that this is a common complaint from firms who are currently e-dealing and want to use e-dealing more. "We are keen to hear about any firms that are not e-dealing. We can give them a call and help sort out the problems that are stopping them from getting underway," she said.

Although Tripe Matthews Fiest is now comfortable with e-dealing, Kathy remembers some of the difficulties that can arise while learning the system.

"In a busy practice, it does take time to settle down and get underway. Jenny has been involved through the implementation with LINZ and she has come back to the firm with the skills and knowledge to help, not just our firm, but others as well. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you are doing it properly to feel comfortable," Kathy said.

Jenny acknowledged that she often fields several phone calls or requests a week from people in other firms needing a little help. "It's easy when you have someone with a reasonable knowledge step through the process with you for the first time. For the most part, once you have been through the process with someone, you are comfortable and don't forget. Often when I explain it, even when it's a complicated transaction, I hear 'Oh, I get it now!'

"It can be bit of a hassle to start with, but when a client asks you to organise the purchase of a house and by 2:30 the same day you have the client's name on the title and a reporting letter in the post, you see the benefits."

Easy steps to 100% e-lodgement

The journey toward 100% e-lodgement is underway and firms should have received a brochure outlining the steps LINZ will take toward this goal. The brochure acts as a broad guide to assist firms plan for the changes. Dates and content of each release will be confirmed well in advance.

This journey began in 2003 when electronic lodgement first became a possibility for conveyancing firms. Then in February 2006, the Government announced that all survey and land title transactions in New Zealand would be lodged electronically from July 2008.

In the build-up to this date, we have developed a progressive approach towards that goal rather than introducing all the changes in a 'big bang'. This allows customers to get familiar with new technology and embed internal processes at each of the stages.

Knowing when the changes will take place, and what information to look out for, will assist firms with their planning and any internal processes that may need to be changed.

"We will be working through the content of each release to ensure we meet our customers' needs," said Sharon Cottrell, General Manager Customer Services. "The quality of these releases is extremely important."

Key dates and some of the benefits for you

June 2007 - most of the changes at this stage will be to the appearance not the function of Landonline, e.g. buttons are greyed out, or changes to names of functions. One key change at this time is the ability to 'split' fees between firms, which will make billing easier.

Later in 2007 – there are two key changes with this release. An Authority and Instruction form will be added that will automatically populate your client's information; and you will be able to sign all the instruments in one e-dealing as a one-step process (a change we know conveyancing professionals have been waiting for).

Other changes in 2007/2008

• The addition of free text or attachments and more flexibility in current transactions, e.g. transfers over part of a title.
• New instruments and functions available through Landonline such as variation of mortgage and transmissions.

As the changes come into effect, collaborative seminars between the New Zealand Law Society and LINZ will be held throughout the country. Firms will hear more about these seminars later this year, so keep an eye out for invitations and booking options.

LINZ's e-steps brochure outlining our journey to 100% e-lodgement in more detail has been sent to all firms. Keep this brochure near to help your firm plan for the upcoming changes and understand what training and support material will be available to you.

If your firm didn't receive the e-steps brochure, call 0800 665 463 (select option 1) and ask for one to be sent out to you.

e-dealing transition process

This month all conveyancing firms were sent a letter from LINZ outlining the transition process from paper to electronic transactions after the 1 May 2007 deadline.

Practitioners are aware that from 1 May, discharges must be completed through e-dealing. The next mandatory date is 1 August 2007 after which all mortgages and transfers must be registered through e-dealing. The process below provides for the rare instances where dealings cannot be completed by e-dealing.

Following a mandatory date, situations may arise where execution and registration of an instrument fall on opposite sides of the deadline. For example, you may have a mortgage or transfer that was executed prior to 1 August and at the time it was not intended to be registered. If, through changed circumstances, that instrument needed to be registered after 1 August and it was not possible to get an Authority and Instruction form, an allowance may be made for the instrument to be registered on paper.

Where this is the case, at the time you lodge the paper transaction with LINZ, you will need to provide a letter outlining the reason the dealing was not completed electronically.

From 1 May 2007, if a paper transaction is submitted where it could have been completed through e-dealing (e-capable discharges) and insufficient explanation is supplied, the dealing will be requisitioned.

Split dealings

Where a dealing involves a series of instruments in sequence, and one or more of the instruments cannot be completed through Landonline, the conveyancing professional has the option to 'split' the transaction or to complete the entire dealing on paper. A 'split' transaction means completing the e-capable parts through e-dealing and completing the other parts of the series on paper.

John Harkness of Harkness & Peterson completed a large, complex transaction on his second time using e-dealing with only the final step in the chain completed on paper. The transaction involved four firms around the country in the sale and purchase of five unit titles from the original vendor to an intermediary then splitting those between two purchasers. John said "I was going to have to start somewhere so this was as good a place as any."

John spent some time thinking through the process before beginning. "I analysed what I would have done in a paper transaction and used the same steps in the electronic medium. Instead of typing up the transfer, you prepare an instrument, and instead of typing and sending an abstract, you submit the dealing. It was the same action except it saved a mass of paper being couriered or posted all over the country."

The two systems run in parallel and the New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) and LINZ have worked together on the key workflow changes. These are available on the NZLS' website.

In addition to thinking through the process, John considered any risk he perceived in the electronic environment. "It has the same risks as a paper transaction. In a paper scenario, you rely on undertakings from other solicitors to send documents and you settle on the basis of those undertakings. It's the same with e-dealing because there's an undertaking to release the dealing after payment is made. The risk of time delays is mitigated by e-dealing. Compare three to four days to courier or post documents around the country – and the associated risk of lost or misplaced documents – with two to three hours for each e-dealing to be submitted and released," he said.

System security also needs to be considered. As is usual with passwords and PIN numbers, careful security should be maintained. Information about security in Landonline can be found on the Landonline website.

John said "I entered the e-dealing process with a degree of trepidation, but am now a convert. I have been fortunate to have great support in my office and each dealing gets easier."

Territorial Authorities

TA e-certification works well for large and small

Case study – how two TAs manage online certification

LINZ recently interviewed several TAs that have successfully moved to online certification about their requirements and the internal processes they applied to get started.

This is the second in the series of Landwrap articles focusing on how a larger TA (population more than 60,000) and a smaller TA incorporated TA e-certification into their business, how they are using the application and managing documents post e-certification.

The March edition of Landwrap covered how two TAs got started with TA e-certification.

Landwrap: What changes to your business processes have you made as a result of TA e-certification?

Larger TA: The main process change was to cut an administration step at the beginning of the process, and to the way the work was released at the end.

Smaller TA: No changes were made except now we don't send letters out when certification is complete, cutting out an adminstrative step.

Landwrap: What is the process you follow for approving a survey plan from receipt of the plan?

Larger TA: The Compliance Officer receives the application from the surveyor via email and a notification email from LINZ. We check it against the application file and, if it has an easement in gross, send it to the relevant part of council for checking. When that's done, the certificates are prepared, peer reviewed and signed off.

Smaller TA: We usually receive an email from the surveyor to say that the plan has been lodged in the council's workspace and also an email from LINZ. The file is recovered and a copy of the plan printed out from Landonline. It's checked against the application with reference to engineers, if necessary, for confirmation that any drainage easements are in the right place. Once we are satisfied all is OK, the plan is approved. The approved plan and certificate are then printed out and filed.

Landwrap: What is the process you follow for issuing a 224 certificate from receipt of the plan?

Larger TA: Similar to a 223 but we circulate it to the person(s) responsible for conditions such as engineers.

Smaller TA: We usually get a letter from the surveyor detailing what has been done to meet the conditions and then it's referred to engineers for sign off. Once cleared, we go into Landonline to sign the document provided by the surveyor or put our own document in.

Landwrap: How many staff have Digital Certificates and at what level are they?

Larger TA: Ten altogether – five resource compliance officers, two case managers, one team leader and two senior advisers.

Smaller TA: Three planning staff.

Landwrap: What training was given to the staff using the system?

Larger TA: The Case Management Officer trained himself using the user guide and then passed the knowledge onto other users. At the time, there was no LINZ training available.

Smaller TA: Ralph Winmill [Winmill e-survey Services Ltd] did our training.

Landwrap: How do you bring new staff into e-certification?

Larger TA: We purchase a new Digital Certificate and add a new user to the system. New users are not trained as such but encouraged to use the online training aids.

Smaller TA: We haven't had any new staff use the application since the training.

Landwrap: Are your council's records paper based or in electronic form?

Larger TA: Applications are kept in paper form until the 224 is issued and are then scanned into a system called Alchemy.

Smaller TA: At the moment they are paper based.

Landwrap: How do you transfer records relating to approved survey plans and 224 certificates to your record system?

Larger TA: We print them off and scan them.

Smaller TA: We print them off for file.

Landwrap: What is your general view of e-certifying as opposed to the previous system? What are some of your likes and dislikes?

Larger TA: It's a great system! It's fast and has sped up processing especially as applications do not need to go through the mail and administration sytems. However, we find it frustrating that once a 223/224 is digitally signed, you can't recover it from Landonline to reprint – you have to print it out before it goes into the system.

Smaller TA: We find that the system is good for small subdivisions but not so good for large ones. For example, a 70 lot subdivision has 40 pages, which makes checking for 223 approval slow and cumbersome. We also don't like the way easements* are handled.

*LINZ will be looking at survey capture, including complex easements, later this year.

Landwrap: Is the output from the system to your council's satisfaction? If not, what changes would you like made?

Larger TA: Generally yes. It appears that surveyors have a big say in the number of sheets that are required and in the way easements are handled. The problem with floating easements may arise from the surveyor perhaps not showing them the best way. Maybe surveyors could be advised on how to reduce the number of sheets and the best way to show easements.

Smaller TA: We would prefer the output to be A3 size instead of A4.

Landwrap: What have been the key benefits for your council in taking up e-certification?

Larger TA: Speed and ease of processing.

Smaller TA: It saves time not having to send out letters or copy foil plans.

TAs also have IT environment and security aspects to consider when preparing their systems for TA e-certification. Landwrap will cover how two TAs managed these in the May edition.

How do TAs sign up to TA e-certification?

If your TA is interested in finding out more about TA e-certification, email your contact details to info@linz.govt.nz or ring 0800 ONLINE (665 463) and LINZ's Customer Support staff will help get you started. Further information is available on LINZ's website.

TA e-certification business implementation tools

LINZ understands that, for TAs, moving to Landonline TA e-certification can have a impact on day-to-day business processes.

To help make the transition to an electronic environment as smooth as possible, we have developed a number of business implementation tools covering aspects that TAs need to consider to successfully implement TA e-certification in their organisations.

We have included information on:

• decision making processes
• document management post e-certification
• IT environment considerations
• security issues
• business processes
• case studies
• business process maps
• overview of how TA e-certification works
• e-survey web forum

We will continue to add information to assist TAs making the transition to Landonline TA e-certification.

Your feedback is always welcome so please email info@linz.govt.nz if you have any comments or suggestions about the new TA e-certification business implementation tools.

Landwrap

Landwrap is the authoritative news and information source for survey and title customers.

We welcome feedback on the contents. Please use the Contact Us page on the Landonline website.

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