Solutions for Solving Your Title Problem
So what are the solutions for you to solve your title problem? In many cases, a title problem seems bigger than it really is. In most cases, there’s a very simple process for you to get your title. It could be a bonded title, it could be a Vermont title, it could be a court-ordered title. All of those things are do-it-yourself processes that cost very little, usually less than $100—$70 or $80 in most cases. For you to get your title might require filling out some paperwork, might require mailing some things off, but researching the method and finding out that method allows you to pay a very small fee to get a solution to your vehicle title problem.
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How to Get a Lien Release for a Vehicle Title
So how do you get a lien release for a vehicle title if you have a car that needs to get a title and there’s a lien holder showing on that title record with the DMV?
The title normally won’t be released until you have that lien cleared from the title records. Some of the complications could be if the lien holder’s out of business or if the car’s not fully paid off, or if it’s an automax type car title loan.
In those cases, you have to go through a certain process. If the lien holder is out of business, you have to find out where they transfer their assets to.
If the car is not paid off, you might want to do a lien mitigation to have the lien discounted to an amount that’s palatable.
If it’s a title pawn, you may find that loan’s not even recorded on the title so there might be a duplicate title possible.
In other cases, if there’s any trouble finding the lien holder finding where they are, you can maybe get a letter of not interest from the bank listed on the title which will be the same as a lien release.
Sometimes if you have payoff documents from the bank showing that it was paid off on a certain day, the DMV may accept them.
So a court-ordered title is your last resort but if the car title loan is more than ten years old sometimes a court-ordered title may be the way to go.
So how do you get in contact with a prior owner of a vehicle to help you get a title?
Get the name and identityYou need to do three steps. First, you need to get the name and identity of that person.
Find their current location.The next thing you need to do is find out their current location because, in some cases, the title record for that person might be an old address where they’ve moved from, and now that they live somewhere else, you have to find out where they are now.
Contact Them and What to SayThe third thing you need to do is know how to contact them and what to say. If you want to ask somebody about a car they may have owned years ago to help you out with paperwork and that’s not approached correctly, it may backfire, and they may not help you at all.
Federal Law: The DPPASo how do you get the information? Well, there is a federal law called the DPP that prevents the release of some of that information except for very specific scenarios, and your scenario may qualify for that, but you have to apply for it correctly.
Alternative MethodsAnother way to look for it is to look for old papers inside the car, maybe oil change receipts, maybe underneath the car, maybe an old purchase order, buyers order, even a plate frame, oil change receipts from an oil change company, or the tag on the windshield might help you find the owner.
Need Help? Contact UsIf you have difficulty finding a prior owner, you can call us up or reach us through cartitles.com, and we can find some solutions that might help you get in contact with that prior owner.
So what’s the process for getting a new car title?
Scenario AssessmentWell, you have to look at the scenario to see which of the processes you have to go through.
True Duplicate TitleIf it’s a true duplicate, meaning that you are the title owner and it was in your name, you just need to get another copy. That’s an easy process. You go to the DMV, bring your driver’s license to the VIN number, and they’ll take care of that for you.
Changing the Owner NameIf you’re changing the owner’s name on the vehicle, you may need other documentation. You might have to remove a lien holder if there’s an old lien holder on the car. Look first at what documents you have: a bill of sale, a receipt, or any other documentation showing the vehicle’s transfer to you.
Locating the Prior OwnerYou may have to locate the prior owner to get some of these things signed, which may be part of the process of getting a new title.
Recent Purchase ConsiderationsIf you bought the car recently, you want to take a look to see if you bought it from a dealer or private seller, and even though somebody may have seemed like a dealer, sometimes there’s people who sell cars out of the blue that aren’t really legitimate licensed dealers; they’re just individuals who flip cars from the driveway or from some car lot somewhere.
Paper Trail and Chain of TitleSo check to see if it was a dealer or a private seller, and if there is, what’s the paper trail and what’s the chain of title that you have putting the car in your name?
So I didn’t get a title for a car if the owner is deceased.
Possible ScenariosMaybe you bought a car from the family of somebody who died. Maybe you bought a car from somebody you didn’t get the paperwork from, and maybe they died later.
Main IssueIn any case, if the owner of the vehicle is deceased and you need to get some paperwork signed, it creates some difficulties because if they’re dead, they can’t sign any paperwork.
SolutionsYou may be able to apply for an airship title where the heirs to the vehicle are listed as relatives by the court. You may have to go through a will or probate process if the person has died and has left their assets to some other party. If there’s an executor of the estate, that can happen.
Lien ConsiderationsWell, what if there’s a lien on the car? Well, then you might have to have the lien holder sign a lien release letter.
Helpful PaperworkA bill of sale from the executor of the estate may be a helpful piece of paperwork to use for some processes, like a bonded title or Vermont title, depending on the scenario.
Worst-Case ScenarioIn the worst-case scenario, you may have to go through a court order title process, which takes a long time, but it’s not as hard as it sounds. Every municipal court and county court has a process for having you declared the legal owner of the vehicle by affidavit.
DocumentationIf you are the heir to that person and have a death certificate and a will or probate, you can go directly to DMV, and they’ll process your title application. Make sure, though, that you have a copy of that death certificate to go along with the aircraft.
DIY ProcessAgain, these are all things you can do yourself. Sometimes they seem complicated because you’ve not done them before, but there is a do-it-yourself process that costs very little money. You’ll have to pay some title agent a ton of money to get a title for you if it’s just a deceased owner.
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