With the understandable temporary move away from face to face client engagement due to Covid-19 , we appreciate that receiving original documents and wet signatures from your clients is a significant challenge at present.  Therefore, during this difficult period, to simplify and speed up the application process we are introducing a new attestation form that you can complete and submit with your clients’ application, removing the need to attain client signatures on our standard declarations up front, and accepting the provision of electronic documentation for KYC purposes for certain application types.

Removing the need for Applicant Signatures
Available for both Residential and Buy to Let applications, instead of requiring wet signed declarations, the new attestation form enables you to attest that you have received consent from your clients to submit their mortgage application, and also that all applicants have received, read, understood and accept, the applicable general mortgage declaration (required for all lending applications), and the interest only and commitment to repay debt declarations, where these apply.

Know your customer (KYC)
In addition, for all applications where you are required to provide proof of identity and address the attestation MUST be submitted with your supporting documents, indicating where you have seen original documents or where you have received only electronic copies of documents. As an exception to our standard requirement for you to have taken certified copies of original KYC documents, we will accept electronic documentation for remortgage requests where the amount of secured mortgage borrowing isn’t increasing, such as like for like remortgages, and all purchase applications.

Important: For cases where you haven’t been in a position to receive and evidence the original KYC documents in addition to the attestation, we will require you to provide a bank statement reflecting the name of the applicant/s as declared on the application, either as part of the proof of address requirement or as an additional supporting document. Without bank statement support, our KYC requirements will not be able to be fulfilled.

Non-qualifying applications
For requests to increase the mortgage borrowing on existing owned property, either by way of remortgage or further advance, we will continue to require you to provide certified copies of original documents for KYC purposes.

Accessing and submitting the form
All applications are eligible to proceed without wet signatures, but if our mortgage application system advises that ID&V documents are required, an attestation MUST be submitted indicating what type of documents you have received from your client.

You will still be required to positively acknowledge the receipt of original documents within our application systems, but subsequently attaching the new attestation at the point of submission supersedes this instruction. You can locate the new attestation form by clicking here or by searching General Declaration or Know Your Customer within the knowledge section of the Barclays Intermediary HUB.

Important: A fully completed attestation form is a mandatory requirement for any case where you will not be providing signed declarations and/or, you have not been in a position to receive and evidence original KYC documents.