Title Problem with Your CarLet me guess, you have a car that you own that you’re missing the title for.
You Deserve the TitleWell, if it’s your car, you deserve to have a title. You paid for the car, you have the keys, you have the car, you have verified the VIN number, it’s your car, you should get a title.
Seller’s ResponsibilityThe seller either owes you one when you bought it, or if you lost it, or for some reason they couldn’t come through with the title, there are ways for you to get that title from the DMV.
Avoid ScamsYou don’t have to pay anybody to do it. Don’t let anybody hold you hostage for hundreds or thousands of dollars to get you a title for your car that you deserve the title for.
Keep Your MoneyYou deserve to keep your money. Nobody else deserves your hard-earned money to get you a title for a vehicle that you already own.
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Where Can You Buy a Car Title?A vehicle title is an official government document only issued by a state agency. In most states, it might be the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), the Department of Transportation, or sometimes the Secretary of State that does it.
Easiest Scenario: True DuplicateThe easiest scenario is a true duplicate, meaning you have the car in your name, it was titled in your name, and you just lost that document. A government agency will not issue a title to a person unless they’re qualified, the vehicle is qualified, and this scenario is qualified.
Next Easiest Scenario: Title Signed Over to YouThe next easiest scenario is when a title is signed over to you. You have a title that was signed by the owner on the back and put your name as a buyer. That’s the next easy scenario that car is qualified for you to get a title.
Lost Title with Contactable OwnerThe next scenario is the title is lost, and you can contact the owner. If you can contact the titled owner, they can request a duplicate and sign it over to you or simultaneously export a duplicate ownership to you.
Most Difficult Scenario: Missing Title and OwnerThe most difficult scenario is when the title is missing, and the owner is missing because now you have nothing to go on. Make sure that if you’re going to go down the process of finding a prior owner and finding the title document, that it is done with a licensed process, a licensed agent. There are a lot of legalities involved with getting ownership information on a vehicle. If it’s done the wrong way, there’s the risk of a DPPA (Driver’s Privacy Protection Act) violation or even getting the wrong information, which could invalidate the title.
So what is a Vermont registration title and how is it a process you can use to get the title for your vehicle?
Vermont’s Registration Ownership DocumentVermont does not issue a standard title on vehicles which are 15 years old or older; however, they do issue a registration ownership document which is their version of a title. Because it is that state’s legal ownership document, it has to be recognized by all 50 states as a title.
Obtaining a Title in Your StateSo if you get one of these documents, you can bring it to your state and get a legal title of ownership in your state. Be aware that the car does not have to go to Vermont, it doesn’t have to come from Vermont, and you don’t have to be in Vermont. There’s no presence required for this vehicle.
RestrictionsThere may be a couple of restrictions. For example, if the car is currently registered and it’s an active registration, it may not be able to be issued. Also, things like Salvage titles and certificate destruction might have some restrictions.
ProcessBut for most cases, if you have a bill of sale showing you own the car, you can get a Vermont registration title and then bring it to your state in exchange for a current title in your state.
DIY ProcessThis is a completely do-it-yourself process. You don’t need to pay anybody to do this; you simply pay the fees to Vermont for the DMV. In some cases, they may require sales tax, but in most cases, you can just send the paperwork in with your bill of sale, and they issue you a Vermont registration ownership document which you can exchange for a title in your state.
Risks for Not Changing Your Car Title Right Away
Risks for Car Sellers: So what are the risks for not changing your car title right away? This is a risk for both car sellers and buyers of a vehicle. First, for sellers, if you sell your car and you hand somebody the title to the car, just sign it and don’t put their information, you have liability because that person now can do anything with that title with your signature. Even if you fill in their name as the buyer, you don’t know when they’re going to transfer it to their name and get a new title indexed by the DMV. In that time, when it’s still in your name, you have liability. You could be liable for damage if they crashed the car and damaged another vehicle. It could be injury to a person if the car is involved in a crime, even tickets and infractions. If they get a parking ticket or they get some kind of moving violations and they don’t pay, that VIN number of that car is going to come back to you, and those infractions will come back to you until they put the new title in their name. So you want to make sure that if you’ve sold a car that you also, in a very short period of time, fill out a form at the DMV disclaiming ownership of that car. You can put the name of the person who bought it, or you can just say you sold it. That way, that VIN number is removed from your name.
Risks for Car Buyers: What about for a buyer? If you buy a car and get a title and don’t transfer it to your name right away, a couple of things can happen. First of all, if you lose that document, you have a risk because you can’t go down to the DMV to get a duplicate. Only that person printed on the front of the title can get a duplicate, so it can be very hard to do. Also, if there are any claims against that seller, if the seller gets sued, if they get divorced, if they file bankruptcy, any one of those claimants or creditors is going to look to see what assets they have. They’re going to find that car listed as an asset because it’s still in their name. They’re going to try to obtain that car and seize that car because it’s still in their name, and you have to prove otherwise. And if you lost the title or you can’t show that you paid for it, you might have to go to court and fight. That could cost money.
Proof of Ownership and Insurance Issues: You also don’t have proof of ownership of that vehicle. So if it gets towed or somebody damages it or something else happens to the vehicle where you have to prove it’s yours, you don’t have that; you just have a title signed over to you. If you put any money into the car, if you fix it up, put new brakes on, put a new engine in it, new paint job, all that money is at risk until the car belongs to you. It doesn’t belong to you until you have that title printed in your name. In some states, you also cannot get insurance to cover the car until you can show them a title. If that’s the case, you have the risk of damage to the vehicle. Even in states where insurance automatically covers a vehicle when you buy it, the insurance company might have a defense against a claim if you don’t have the car put into your name. So be aware that as a buyer and a seller, you have a risk until that title is transferred legally to the person who actually has purchased it.
Where to Replace a Vehicle Title OnlineSo where can you get a vehicle title replaced online? Well first of all, many DMVs, the official government agency, have processes to order a title through their website online.
Ensure LegitimacyMake sure that if you’re ordering a vehicle title, it is through a licensed DMV agent or the DMV itself. If it’s a title agent, make sure that agent is affiliated with the DMV. If they’re not, anything that they’re doing you can do yourself basically for free, and you don’t have to pay them.
Ownership VerificationAlso verify that you’re not signing over ownership of this vehicle to another party. Because if part of the process is signing over the ownership to them, they put it in their name and then they sign it back to you. There’s a lot of risk involved with that, even if it’s legal.
Mechanic’s Lien CheckThe next thing is to look to see if there’s a mechanic’s lien involved. There is a mechanic’s lien process which is used for a towing company to title an impounded vehicle for the purpose of auction. That process is very frequently misused to get titles for people. When that happens, the titles are revoked, they’re made invalid, and people involved a lot of times have penalties associated with it.
Cost BreakdownWhat is the cost for what are you actually paying for? Have them itemized the amount. How much is for the actual title, how much is for their service?
Legal VerificationAnd then last, verify that it’s legal. Don’t go by their word. If it’s legal, verify that all the processes they’re using qualify for the statutes for that state and the fact that they have licensed themselves in a business license that you can verify independently of what they give you.
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