BlueNotary

Closing the lease series with the full prep checklist.

Complete and correct property address.

Lease term clearly defined.

Rent and deposit figures consistent throughout the document.

No blank fields left unstruck.

And if the landlord is a business entity, verified signing authority.

Five checks, and the lease is ready for the notary.

→ Full video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sRkVVOIay8g?si=E7EwpVDucTZKgl8C

This week's Notary Tip Thursday: what to do if a signer seems pressured to sign on camera.

If someone appears confused, coached, or uncomfortable, especially with another person visible or audible just off screen, you have the right and the responsibility to pause the session.

Ask the signer directly if anyone else is present.

Protecting the integrity of a voluntary signature is the entire point of the job. Remote doesn't lower that bar.

Part two on lease agreements: why remote notarization fits this document so well.

Property managers and landlords bring leases for notarization when they want the signatures verified, especially common with commercial leases and higher-value residential properties.

And increasingly, the landlord is an out-of-state owner, a management company, or an investor who's never going to be in the same room as the tenant.

That's simply the modern rental market, and remote notarization was built for exactly this.

→ Full video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sRkVVOIay8g?si=E7EwpVDucTZKgl8C

Can any commissioned notary just start doing RON? Not automatically.

Most states require a separate remote online notarization registration or endorsement on top of the standard commission, often with its own application, its own technology requirements, and sometimes additional training. Being commissioned doesn't automatically authorize you for remote sessions.

Worth checking your state's specific run requirements before you accept your first virtual signing.

A question worth answering plainly: most residential leases do not legally require notarization.

So why do it? Because notarization verifies that the people who signed are who they claim to be, which matters a great deal if the lease is ever disputed. Optional is not the same as pointless.

Three parts this week.

→ Full video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sRkVVOIay8g?si=E7EwpVDucTZKgl8C

Closing the week on real estate deeds: the legal description.

It's not the street address, it's the lot and block, the metes and bounds, or the parcel identification number that legally defines the property.

Knowing which format you're working with matters, because the language and the stakes differ between them.

Full walkthrough on YouTube. → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRL27rlrt9U

What to do when a signer fails Knowledge-Based Authentication.

Most signers get a limited number of attempts before they're locked out of the session. If someone fails, stay calm, explain that it happens, then walk them through their options: retrying after a waiting period, or a credible witness where state law allows it.

A failed KBA attempt isn't a crisis.

Rushing someone through it out of awkwardness is usually what turns it into one.

Part two on real estate deeds: county-specific paperwork.

Beyond the deed itself, counties can require a cover sheet, specific margins, a transfer tax declaration, or a preliminary change of ownership form, and requirements vary widely from one county to the next.

Confirming the full list before the signing saves a returned filing later.

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Does your E&O insurance actually cover remote notarizations?

Errors and omissions insurance protects you if a mistake leads to a claim, but standard policies don't automatically extend to RON sessions. Some require a specific rider or endorsement to include them.

Worth an actual read of the policy rather than just confirming coverage exists. If you run a team or work with independent notaries, this is worth checking on their behalf too.

Real estate deeds have a particular quality that makes errors expensive: they do not fail immediately. A flawed deed can sit in the record for years and only surface when someone tries to sell, refinance, or settle an estate.

This week, the three things preparers most often miss.

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