CERTIFICATIONS

What are Certifications?

Section 164A of the Land Transfer Act 1952 requires every electronic instrument to have specified certifications given in relation to it.

The Act requires the certifications to specify that:
(a) The person giving the certification has authority to act for the party specified in regulations in relation to that class of instrument and that party has legal capacity to give such authority; and
(b) The person giving the certification has taken reasonable steps to confirm the identity of the person who gave the authority to act; and
(c) The instrument complies with any statutory requirements specified by the Registrar for that class of instrument; and
(d) The person giving the certification has evidence showing the truth of the certifications in paragraphs (a) to (c) and that the evidence will be retained for the period prescribed for the purpose by regulations made under this Act.

The actual form of the certifications is prescribed in the Land Transfer Regulations 2002.

The regulations require that certifications be given in the following form:

  • I certify that I have the authority to act for [insert description of the appropriate party from the third column of the table in regulation 11] and that the party has the legal capacity to authorise me to lodge this instrument.
  • I certify that I have taken reasonable steps to confirm the identity of the person who gave me authority to lodge this instrument.
  • I certify that any statutory provisions specified by the Registrar for this class of instrument have been complied with or do not apply, and-
  • I certify that any statutory provisions specified by the Registrar relating to Maori freehold land have been complied with or do not apply; or
  • I certify that the caveator of the caveat [insert caveat number here] has consented to this transaction, which is subject to the caveat, and I hold that consent; or
  • I certify that the chargeholder of the [insert type and registration number of charge here] has consented to this transaction and I hold that consent, or the charge does not prevent registration; or
  • I certify that the mortgagee of the mortgage [insert the mortgage number here] has consented to this transaction and I hold that consent.
  • I certify that I hold evidence showing the truth of the certifications I have given and will retain that evidence for the prescribed period.

All transactions will require certifications relating to authority/capacity, identity, general statutory compliance and evidence. Additional certifications will be required when the relevant factual situation exists, for instance, that land is Maori land or is subject to a caveat. These are the words a conveyancer can expect to see when certifying instruments within Landonline.


Certifications
Authority/Capacity
Identity
Statutory Requirements
Evidence
Who can certify?