How do I sign?
Signing electronically is easy and done through our website. You don't need any specialised software or even a printer!
You sign from your browser by logging into OpenRent at the relevant stage of Rent Now. You will be prompted and it will be explained on the page.
Digital Signatures
Digital signatures are becoming commonplace, used across all kinds of online and remote transactions in the UK. They make the process faster and easier and they are legally binding and admissible in court.
This was established by the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and subsequent EU Directives. See this guidance from GOV.UK for more detail.
How can I trust the signature on an OpenRent contract?
Electronic signatures cannot normally be used for documents which need to be executed as a deed (such as the sale of land, or tenancies with a fixed term of three years or more), but this does not preclude their being used for other tenancies.
OpenRent’s online signing uses what are categorised as 'advanced electronic signatures'. This reflects the fact that our contracts have the following attributes:
- The signature can identify the user
- The signature is unique to the user
- The signature is under the sole control of the user
- A signed document cannot subsequently be changed while still showing the original signature.
The requirement to create and authenticate an OpenRent account means that the contract-signing process meets the above criteria. Our contracts also show a time-stamp for when they were signed and the signatory's IP address to provide further precision.
If you have signed a tenancy agreement on our website and need to prove that the contract was signed electronically, you may wish to consider independent legal advice for any detailed guidance.