How to review signature blocks in a contract before it goes out for execution

November 1, 2026

The signature block is the last section written and, in practice, often the least carefully reviewed. That makes it one of the more reliable sources of problems on the day of signing.

Reviewing signature blocks is not the same as checking party identity. That should have been done earlier. What you are doing here is checking that the document as drafted correctly records every party in the right place, with the right details and the right stated capacity.

What the signature block covers

The signature block is the section of a deed or contract that identifies who is signing, in what capacity, and provides space for the signatures themselves, the date, any witnesses, and — where required — the solicitor or conveyancer acting.

For parties who are companies, the block also needs to state how the signatory is authorised: as a director, as a company secretary, as an authorised signatory under a power of attorney. In multi-party transactions, there will be a separate block for each party.

The most common error: the name does not match

The name in the signature block must be exactly the name in the body of the deed and on the party's identity document. Not a shortened version, not a name with an initial dropped, not a transposed middle name.

Before the document leaves the office, check that:

Every name in the signature block matches letter for letter with the name in the body of the deed.
Any ID number or reference included in the block matches the document provided.
Names are not transposed or abbreviated compared to how they appear elsewhere.

A name discrepancy between the block and the body of the deed can put the execution in question or require a deed of rectification after the fact.

The capacity each party signs in

Every signatory needs to appear in the block with the correct stated capacity. Signing in a personal capacity, as a director, under a power of attorney, or as a trustee are different things — the block must say which one applies.

Check that:

Where the party is a company, the block states the signatory's role and the basis of their authority: director, company secretary, authorised signatory, as applicable and consistent with the authority documents in the file.
Where a party signs under a power of attorney, the block references that instrument.
Where a party signs in more than one capacity, each is recorded separately — not collapsed into a single block entry.

The signature block cannot state a capacity that the documents in the file do not support. If the block describes the signatory as an authorised signatory but there is no authority document in the file, that is not a drafting issue alone — it is a missing document issue.

The number of signature blocks matches the number of parties

Compare the parties clause at the front of the deed with the signature blocks at the end. Every party named in the deed should have a block. If a party appears in the body of the deed with no corresponding block — or if there is a block with no corresponding party — there is an error.

This type of inconsistency tends to appear in documents that have passed through several drafts, where a party was added or removed from the body but the signature page was not updated to match.

Additional fields: witnesses, dates, acting solicitor

Depending on the type of deed, witness signatures may be required. The block needs to include space for them, not just for the parties. Before the document goes out:

Check that witness signature fields are present where the type of deed requires them.
The date field should be blank, ready to be completed at execution — never a provisional date written in as though it were final.
If the acting solicitor signs or certifies anything on the document, there is a space for their signature and firm details.

A signature block missing required fields will either cause a last-minute correction or, if no one catches it, an incomplete execution.

How to run this check in practice

Review signature blocks before the draft goes to the parties for their final review — not on completion day. If the draft goes out with the block incorrect, the error is likely to carry through to the version that reaches the signing.

A useful sequence:

Party names: compare with the body of the deed and with the identity documents in the file.
Signatory capacity: verify it matches the authority documents in the file.
Number of blocks: one per party, no duplicates, no omissions.
Additional fields: witnesses, date, acting solicitor or certifier, as required by the deed type.
Any cross-references to attached authority documents or powers of attorney.

Running this as a fixed sequence rather than a general read-through reduces the chance of missing something because the document feels familiar.

If you'd like support with document review and verification in your practice, VerifyAct has tools built for that.