Our exceptional climate this time of year is why many of us love to call this special place home.
This month, we decided to discuss a topic that has landed on our desk several times as of late. As full-time real estate professionals, we are often asked to recommend various real estate-related services.
Offering various solutions to home and apartment owners for how they can protect themselves and their real estate investments has become an increasingly important element of our service-oriented approach to helping people.
As we all know, fraud and identity theft have become real concerns in our daily lives. A past client recently asked us about a service called Home Title Lock, which they had seen advertised while watching late-night television.
The basic premise in these commercials touts the ease with which any shady scammer can walk into the assessor’s office and, with no questions asked, record a document that allows them to take ownership of your home.
This is considered title fraud, and, as the commercial promotes, you can protect one of your most valuable assets by paying a monthly fee to be “alerted” when or if a document is recorded against your property.
Although we believe the commercial oversimplifies the ease with which a situation such as this can occur, this is technically something that “could” happen but not something we have ever experienced. If this ever happened, you would likely need to lawyer up and fight to have any recorded document against your property expunged.
The concept of being alerted in the event a document is recorded against your property is a great idea. When something is recorded against the title of your home, it doesn’t necessarily mean fraud has occurred. Sometimes, mistakes or clerical errors can be the cause.
Many legitimate instruments can be recorded against your property, including a Foreclosure Notice, Refinance, Transfer of Title (Quitclaim Deed, Change of Ownership, etc.), Mortgage Deed (Deed of Trust, 2nd Trust Deed, etc.), Lis Pendens, Mechanic’s Lien, etc.
Rather than pay a monthly fee to one of the various companies that offer a “title alert” service, you can also do this through a free service provided by the Los Angeles County Assessor’s website.
To sign up for this free Homeowner Alert Service (e-Notification), go to assessor.lacounty.gov/real-estate-toolkit/welcome and click on the “E-Notification” tab at the bottom left of the page. Register and check the “Opt-In for AIN/Recorded Document email notification” disclaimer box.
Once you have created an account, log into the portal and select “Register Property for e-Notification” on the landing page. Enter your AIN (Assessor Identification Number) on the “Register Property for e-Notification” page and select “Add.” There is no limit to how many properties you can enroll in this service.
It’s also a great idea to enroll elderly parents or any dependent adult’s property to ensure immediate notification. Once registered, you receive notifications within 48 hours of a document being recorded against your property.
If you are a homeowner who has questions, suspects fraud, or needs assistance, you can contact the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at (800) 593-8222. spt
