Ontario’s land registration system contains the record of property ownership and other interests in land for the entire province. With over 7 million property titles for search and registration, 2 million registrations per year, and industry-eclipsing 99.9% uptime for 15 years, the Ontario Electronic Land Registration System (ELRS) stands out as one of the most robust and technologically advanced systems in the world. Maintaining operational continuity, performance and reliability, and tight security of the ELRS is crucial to the integrity of the system and preserving public trust.
We connect government, businesses, and consumers to modernized land registry systems. The processes around title transfer are more efficient and unlike the former manual system, the digital process is also much more secure in order to prevent fraudulent transactions by controlling access to the system.
Together with our partner, the Province of Ontario, Teranet has implemented security strategies to safeguard Teraview to ensure the interest of the public is protected with the ELRS:
1. Registering Documents in the ELRS requires authorization
In Ontario, permission to register documents in the ELRS is restricted to users authorized by the Province’s Director of Land Registration and issued a Personal Security License (PSL) by Teranet. Access to the system is tightly governed by ServiceOntario, which requires applicants to meet a set of criteria that are important to the security of the ELRS and preventing title fraud. This is a vast improvement over the old manual system, where there was less control over who could submit new documents for registration.
2. Signing a Transfer of Title is restricted
Only licensed lawyers in Ontario are authorized by the Director of Land Registration to digitally sign a document in Teraview for the purposes of transferring land title. These lawyers must be in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario and Teranet verifies licensee status on a daily basis. This restriction further safeguards the land registration system and provides the public with additional protection.
3. Signing requires Two-factor Authentication
Teranet employs the highest security measures available, including user session timeout, strong data encryption, and network and software system protection. Most significantly, two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a layer of protection to enhance identity verification. In addition to a user’s Teraview credentials and password, signing a Transfer of Title requires a time-sensitive one-time password (OTP), which is generated by an industry-standard secure token issued only to authorized licensees.
Performing under pressure
During Ontario’s red-hot real estate market in 2021, transaction volumes in Teraview reached a high of over 21,000 registrations in a single day, which were processed securely and without issue. The integrity and security of the system is vital for the well-being of the land registry system and property owners. By implementing strong security strategies, enforcing Provincial policies, and employing technologies to protect the ELRS from unauthorized access, Teranet has successfully maintained an Electronic Land Registration System that is as secure as it is fast and convenient.
For jurisdictions on the path of modernizing their land registry, Teranet is trusted to provide valuable expertise and a proven model for success. Connect with us to learn more.
