Can’t find Prior Owner of a Vehicle Title

In many cases, it was a difficult car title problem. The issue is that you can’t find the prior owner of the vehicle. You can’t find the prior titled owner. There may have been an owner, but they may not have been on title. You’re going to need that title owner for a signature. You’re going to need them to sign the title over to you, maybe even to request a duplicate so then it can be transferred to you.

Back Chaining: Tracing Ownership
The best way to do that is to start with back chaining the seller. So if the seller you bought it from may know the person who last was on title, they may know maybe two owners ago who is on title. You may also be able to look at lien holders. So sometimes a lien holder will know the last titled owner.

Utilizing Social Media
You can even look at things like social media. If you know the name of the person or relative, you may be able to discover them through social media.

Last Resort: Licensed Agent
Worst case scenario, if all of your do-it-yourself processes have been exhausted, you can work with a licensed agent such as us to discover prior owners using the DPP, an acceptable use, and then you can get a duplicate title that can then be signed over to you so you can understand your ownership correctly.

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DMV Vehicle Title Rejection

So how do you deal with a DMV vehicle title rejection if you have a vehicle you’ve purchased and are attempting to get a title and the DMV has rejected your application?

Obtain a Rejection Letter
You want to start with getting a rejection letter. You want a formal version of that rejection so you know exactly what the reasons for the rejection are and what the deficiencies are in your application. That way you can start fixing that problem. If you just walk away with a verbal description, you may not be able to understand what that title agent actually needs to get that DMV application done.

Review the Rejection Letter
So once you get the rejection letter, you can look very specifically at what is needed. Users will have check marks, so if you need a notary, if you need a lien release, those will be checked off on the box-room. You’ll know what exactly to get.

Match Rejection with State Statutes
Match up the rejection with the statutes for that state. In some cases, a title application is rejected when in fact it’s sufficient as presented. The statutes weren’t understood properly by that DMV agent. If that’s the case, you may want to check with other locations, other DMV locations, or other reps even in the same office. Sometimes if you go to a different person, they’ll be able to interpret the statutes correctly.

Seek Consumer Advice
If you need consumer advice about your title application, you can reach us at our website, consumerstitle.org.

Understand Rejection Points
Also start by boiling down the reasons for the rejection. Make sure you understand exactly what all those rejection points are, because it might only be really just one thing. You need one piece of paper to solve all of that.

Be Cautious with Bonded Titles
Be very careful with bonded titles. If you’ve been rejected by the DMV and you try to get a bonded title, the bonding company might reject your bond for the same reason. So make sure that any of the problems you can solve, you do that first. Because a bonded title is only going to work if the bonding company agrees that these rejection aspects are not crucial, not fatal to getting a title.

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Finding the last Title of a Vehicle

So where do you go to find the last title of a vehicle? No, we’re talking about the title document itself, not the owner, but the title.

Identifying the Title Holder
You may start with who it is issued to. That person might have that title document and they may be able to transfer it over to you or to provide you with that piece of paper. Sometimes the lien holder has it even if that loan has been paid off. The lien holder may have hold that title document or hold the rights to transfer it.

Determining the State of Issue
If you don’t have that information, you can start with discovering what state issued that last title document and then go from there to see what their regulations would be to create a new one.

Understanding Ownership Transfer
More importantly, just because you have that title doesn’t make you the owner. That’s what you’re trying to do. The title will list and name the titled owner on that piece of paper. Until that ownership change has been done and legally transferred with the DMV, that person listed on the title is the legal owner as far as the state is concerned.

Final Steps for Transfer
So in addition to finding that title, you also want to discover the process to get it transferred if that’s what you’re trying to accomplish.

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Abandoned Vehicle Titles

So how do you go about getting a title for an abandoned vehicle? First, let’s talk about what it means to be an abandoned vehicle. Definition of an abandoned vehicle means that the owner of the vehicle has intentionally abandoned the vehicle. They have disclaimed all need and want for that car. It’s not an alternative method of getting a title for a car that you’ve acquired another way. If you purchased a car or bought it off Craigslist or somehow it was transferred to you, but you just lost the title on the paperwork, that’s not an abandoned car. An abandoned car is one where the owner is intentionally disclaiming rights to the vehicle. Truly abandon means that the legal owner has intentions they don’t want it. That triggers an abandoned vehicle law.

The Legal Process
Now that law will allow for a title to pass over to a new owner, but that process isn’t just as simple as Finders Keepers. Whoever finds the car, it’s a process of going through being towed from where it’s located by a licensed towing company. That towing company has to be part of the towing rotation for that jurisdiction. The police department is usually involved; they call the next towing company out of rotation. It’s towed from wherever it is, it’s held for a certain period of time, and then it’s auctioned off. That way it protects the right of that vehicle owner so that whatever the value of the car is will go to the vehicle owner. Now it’s subtracted out for the price of the towing, for the storage, usually there’s not much left over for the vehicle owner.

Protection Against Loss
But the reason why that process is in place is to protect against a very high-value vehicle. Let’s say there’s a car that’s worth ten or fifteen thousand dollars that somehow is abandoned or lost track of. That value isn’t absorbed by somebody or doesn’t become a liability to the owner to lose their car. So it’s going to go through a legal process so that the value of the vehicle when the car is auctioned is paid to the towing company, but they first subtract their fee for towing and storage. The rest is given to the last title donor.

Alternative Methods
So if you have a car that is abandoned somewhere, you can go through that process. But if the only reason you’re looking at an abandoned vehicle process is to get a title for a car you’ve acquired otherwise, there are other processes to go through that actually cost less money and are more of a direct process for you to get a title.

Consider Other Scenarios
There’s another thing to consider. The car that you think is abandoned could have a legitimate scenario. It could be in storage, the person could be on vacation, they could be overseas in the military, there could be a number of reasons. It also could have a lien on it. The person could have left it because they didn’t finish paying the payments. In that case, the bank owns it. It’s not abandoned, the bank just doesn’t know where it is.

Conclusion
So there are laws for abandoned vehicles to pass over title, but it’s not a substitute for title recovery just because you don’t have a title for a vehicle or it’s difficult to get. If you think the title is difficult to get, contact us at our website, consumerstitle.org. We can have our title experts look at your scenario and find a way that you can figure out how to get a title all by yourself.

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Illinois Lost Vehicle Title

So how do you get a duplicate car title in the state of Illinois?

Application Process
In Illinois, you apply for a duplicate title through the Secretary of State using form VSD-190. You can fill out the form online, print it out, or submit it.

Duplicate Car Title Fee
If you had lost your car title in Illinois, look very hard to find it because their duplicate car title fee is $95. It’s one of the highest in the country. Most states charge ten or fifteen or twenty dollars. Illinois charges almost $100, so look very carefully for that title before you go through the lost title process.

Completing the Form
If you fill out that form, make sure you complete the mileage section. Without the mileage filled in properly, they will reject the form and they won’t send you a title.

Out-of-State Residents
Also, out-of-state residents may not apply for an Illinois duplicate title if they purchase the vehicle without a title from an Illinois resident. You have to have that Illinois resident fill out that form.

Receiving the Duplicate Title
Once it’s done and you submit it, they’ll send you this piece of paper with your name on it evidencing you’re the owner of the car. But make sure you look hard or try to find that title before spending $100 to get another one.

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