Document Errors Slowing Down Processing Time for Land Titles
The Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction has advised that errors in documents sent from law offices to the Government of Alberta Land Titles office continue to be an area of concern.
With a 25 per cent error rate, it is important for lawyers to ensure a high level of quality control to support processing efficiencies. The current error rate impacts Land Titles staffing resources and the wider legal profession by significantly slowing document processing times.
Ensuring documents are submitted correctly benefits everyone involved. To help in these efforts, the department of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction has created a guide called Land Titles & Surveys Common Documents and Errors: Recommended Fixes and Best Practices.
Prior to submitting packages for registration, it is important to confirm that:
- all required supporting affidavits for the transaction have been completed (i.e., Affidavit Re: Minors, Affidavit Verifying Corporate Signing Authority, etc.), signed and commissioned;
- the Commissioner for Oaths/Notary Public has provided their printed name and expiry date;
- the Notary Seal has been affixed (if applicable);
- supporting affidavits have been amended to reflect that the document was executed by two-way video conference (if applicable); and
- the corporate seal is fully legible.
The land titles office will reject incomplete or incorrect submissions to further encourage error-free submissions.
The Law Society strongly encourages lawyers practising in this area to institute quality control measures in their office to provide complete and accurate packages to Land Titles. Making every effort to ensure documents are registerable on the first submission greatly improves turnaround times and reduces the volume of documents in the queue.
Please contact the Government of Alberta Land Titles office for more information or questions. Lawyers are also encouraged to review and sign up for the Alberta Title Talk Newsletters to keep up-to-date on emerging news, resources and tips.