Car Title Recovery Prior Owner Contact

Contacting the Prior Owner for Title Assistance
So if you have a vehicle that you’re missing paperwork on to get a title one of the options you have is a prior owner contact you may have already thought of this of going back to the last owner who had a title and having them help you get a new title in your name if you purchased the car from the individual who had the legal title in their name that person can help you by getting a duplicate title and then signing it over to you be aware that only the current legal title owner can get a duplicate you can’t get a duplicate nobody else can the only person is the last title owner whose name was printed on the front of the title.

Making the Process Easy for the Prior Owner
So if you know who that person is you can contact them and ask them for their help to get you a title sometimes a person might be reluctant to help you because they think they have to go to DMV they have to wait in line they have to do all this stuff in fact you can actually make it easy form in many cases you offering to do most of the legwork will be the thing that gets that person to call you back if you’ve been trying to text the owner or call them or email and we’re Facebook them and they’re not calling you back make it clear that you don’t want them to have to go down a weighted line all you need him to do is sign a form and if you get the form that’s needed to get a duplicate title from the DMV and you fill it out for me make it really easy and all you do is say hey look I got to do is put your autograph on this in many cases that will help you get that process done sometimes it has to be notarized but in many cases it doesn’t.

Handling Unknown Prior Owners
Well what if you don’t know who that owner is well we’ll talk about that momentarily how you can maybe get that information but if you do get the form signed look on that form in your state to see if you can do in duplicate and simultaneous transfer if you can get a simultaneous transfer this state will print a duplicate and at the same time put into your name without having to have the title sent to that person and then wait for them to get it and then have them signed it over to you if you can do duplicate and simultaneous transfer it saves you a step gets a title right in your name remember only the legal title owner can do this now what if you don’t know who the owner is how do you handle that.

Privacy Laws and Alternative Solutions
Well unfortunately the ownership records for a vehicle are protected under a federal privacy law called the DPP a the driver’s Privacy Protection Act and it prevents and prohibits any entity government entity company anybody from releasing ownership records for a person without their permission so you can’t just say I want to know who the owner of that car is because it’s against the law for anybody to tell you we have access to the records the DMV does but we can’t release it to a third party however we can use those records to try to contact a prior owner on your behalf as a licensed private investigative agency we can look up those records and take it the next step because in many cases the records will have an old address for that person they may have moved from there since that title is issued five or ten years ago find out where they live now and contact them about getting you your title and in many cases we do just exactly what we mentioned before we make it very easy for them we make it a simple process we have a kind of tried-and-true send a letter or certified letter with a four minute that we do with a very particular wording to make it in their best interest to help you out getting a title we do without revealing their identity to you but with your permission we would let them know if they had any questions about what they’re doing they could call you up but they’re gonna have the form to fill out the form to sign everything’s gonna be right in that envelope along with a return envelope with a stamp on it with your address on it so all they have to do is open it up sign it glue the envelope and send it to you and they’re all set so that’s one option you may have about contacting prior owners if before doing that you use some effort with that vehicle to try to find out if you can locate their information in the vehicle maybe there’s an old oil change receipt under the backseat maybe in the trunk there’s you know a business card something that might help you locate that person maybe even the dealership plate frame might help you go to that dealership and find out who bought the car do everything you can first to locate that person try to contact them but if you run out of avenues you want a back-up plan you can call us up but we can see how we can help you book contacting prior owner in many cases is your only option if that legal title is still in somebody else’s name technically they still own a car and you want to get it to your name as soon as you can.

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Car Title Recovery Bonded Title Scenario # 3

Option Three: Bonded Title
So if you’re looking to get a title for your vehicle we’re gonna now look at option number three in scenario three meaning that you purchase a vehicle you have limited documentation and the vehicle is newer than 15 years old in that case one of the options that is most often used is what’s called a bonded title.

The Bonding Process
In that scenario you purchase a bond from a bonding company it’s the same kind of company the issues bonds that get people out of jail it’s kind of like getting your title out of jail is what it is and they guarantee the ownership of your vehicle if you don’t have the right documentation meaning that you don’t have the old title you don’t have a signed over legal document to you from the prior owner and a bill of sale doesn’t count by the way it’s good that you have that but it’s not enough.

Exchanging the Bond for Title
The bonding company will issue in lieu of that this vehicle bond once you have that you bring it to the DMV or the title office or the license office whatever it’s called in your state and you exchange it for a title in your name.

Costs and Considerations
Now what’s the catch well the catch is the bond might cost you 100 110 hundred and twenty dollars and they also have to prove it at the bonding company remember they’re guaranteeing the full value of the vehicle and you’re only paying $100 so if something goes wrong with the ownership or there’s a claim or there’s a lien they’re on the hook for so they’re gonna make sure that their chances of having to pay that out or slim they don’t want to be adding risk to their portfolio but once you get that bond in your hand you’re clear to go you can go to the DMV and get a title in your name.

Title Specifics
In some states that title may be stamped bonded title it’s not like a salvage title or anything like that it just means that for three or five years that’s going to be on the title so that the bonding company knows that their lien or their bond is protected some states don’t recognize the bonded title so you have to make sure that the state you’re in is okay with that and if you are and kind of move to another state that doesn’t recognize it that could be a problem too it’s something to look into as an option if you don’t have sufficient documentation.

Do-It-Yourself Option
It’s also something you can do yourself you don’t have to pay and out company to do this process for you you buy the bond from the bonding company 100 120 bucks in most cases that bonding company will also help you do the paperwork you don’t have to pay somebody else to do that so find the right company ask them if they will help you with the DMV paperwork turned in that bond wait a few days you’ll have a title in your name and that may be the solution as a worst case scenario if you have no other options.

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Car Title Recovery Bill of Sale Scenario # 2

Scenario Overview
So if you need to get a title for your vehicle, we’re gonna look at scenario number two where it’s a vehicle that was not legally titled in your name. Maybe you got a title signed over to you and you lost it. Maybe the person who you bought it from didn’t have a title to give you. Maybe there was some other transaction that got you the car but didn’t get you the paperwork.

Bill of Sale Importance
So the first question is, do you have a bill of sale? A bill of sale is a receipt, is something showing that an event took place of transferring that car to you. It’s not a full legal ownership transfer because a bill of sale can be signed by anybody. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the person who signed it to you is the legal owner. So you can’t use a bill of sale in most cases by itself in order to get a title.

Vermont Registration Ownership Document
Here’s one process that might work for a vehicle that’s 15 years old or older and you only have a bill of sale. In the state of Vermont, they will issue what’s called a registration ownership document. It’s not a title; they technically don’t issue titles for 15-year-old cars. They only issue a registration ownership. Matter of fact, when you get one, they’ll send you license plates. It’s a registration, but since that is their version of a legal ownership document, it is legally recognizable in other states.

How to Obtain Vermont Registration Ownership
They will issue that ownership document to you with only a bill of sale. You don’t have to be in Vermont, the car doesn’t have to be in Vermont, nothing has to be about Vermont except for you mail them a form with a copy or a bill of sale and you pay their fee, which is $72 or $76. They will then mail you back this registration ownership.

Converting Vermont Document to Your State Title
Once you get it, you bring it to your state. That’s your ownership claim and trade it in for a title. You may have to pay sales tax on the vehicle depending upon the transaction and what state you’re in, but the Vermont ownership registration document is a two-step process that many people use to get a title from their state when they have limited documentation with a bill of sale.

Completing the Vermont Application
The bill of sale can be handwritten; it doesn’t have to be in a particular form. But you do have to fill out the correct Vermont application form. It’s form number VD-119. You can download it from the Vermont website. They don’t charge for that. You can print it. I recommend printing a couple of copies in case you make a mistake, and making a photocopy of your bill of sale so that way you have your original to retain.

Contacting Vermont DMV
If you have any questions, you can call up the DMV. They’re glad to help you out. Remember, they’re not issuing you a title, so if you ask them about a title, they’re gonna tell you, “We don’t give you a title for that car,” which is true because they only issue a registration. It’s a process used; it may or may not be applicable in your particular case, but it is something to take a look at as an option if you have limited documentation from your purchase.

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What is a Duplicate Title for a Vehicle

What is a Duplicate Title for a Vehicle?
While a duplicate is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a replacement exact copy of the current title. It doesn’t have any name changes and the address changes. Only the current owner can request it.

Requirements for Requesting a Duplicate Title
It has to come from the same state. If you’re a buyer and you’ve got a car without a title, you need to contact the prior owner to request a duplicate. You can’t do that yourself if you’re not the owner.

Limitations of a Duplicate Title
A duplicate title is not going to help you because it’s going to be in somebody else’s name. It’s not going to be in your name.

Process for the Owner
So, if you are the owner, it’s a very easy process. You can go directly to the DMV, and it should cost you no more than $10 in most states.

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How To Run A Vin# To Check Car Title

So, how do you run a VIN number check on a vehicle to check out the title or check out the vehicle history? Well, there’s four different things that many times people want to check on a VIN number.

Four Key Checks
Number one is if it’s stolen or not. Number two is if there’s liens on the car. Number three is who the prior owner is or what is the prior owner history. And the last one is a salvage brand or some type of collision history.

Different Methods for Different Checks
Each one of those searches is done in a different way and in a different place. Only about half of those can be done online and sometimes not even that.

Checking If a Vehicle Is Stolen
Only a law enforcement officer can check if it’s stolen. There’s nothing online that you can do to see if it’s stolen accurately. There’s a few third-party websites that might have those records, but they might be outdated. They might not be up-to-date. So only a local police officer, given that VIN number, can check if it’s stolen. But that’s all they can check. They can’t tell you if there’s a lien on it. They can’t tell you if it’s a salvage title. They can’t tell you who owns it.

Checking for a Salvage Title
If you want to check a salvage title, you’re going to go through CARFAX. CARFAX is probably the best source to find out if there’s any damaged or collision brands on the title, salvage, rebuilt, certificate of destruction, any of those other brands. That’s where you’re going to get information from CARFAX.

Checking for Liens and Owner History
The remaining items are liens and owners. Well, those two records are covered under a federal law called the DPPA, Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The information is restricted for release under that law out of privacy for prior owners and banks. So anything other than the government DMV records is not going to be a hundred percent.

Accessing Restricted Records
In order to get those DPPA records, you’re going to have to go through a licensed private investigator like one of the things we do. But be aware that not all the records may be able to be released to you if you’re not the legal titled owner.

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