Did you lose a title for a vehicle that was not yet in your name?
Contact the Seller FirstIf the title was lost or misplaced, the first thing to do is, do you still have access to that seller? That’s your first thing. More importantly, is that seller the actual title donor? If they are the ones who are the legal title owner, it’s very simple.
Seller Can Obtain DuplicateThey can go down to DMV, get a duplicate, and then sign over to you again like they did before. Now, the process sounds simple. Getting that person to actually go to DMV and do it, that’s another story.
What If the Seller Isn’t Available?If the prior owner is not available or if the seller wasn’t the legal title owner, now it’s a bigger problem.
Look for Other RecordsYou need to look for what other records you have – a bill of sale, registration – and look for what legal process you can do to get the title in your name.
Special Case: Vermont ProcessIn most cases, you need that legal title document to get a title. However, there’s a process in the state of Vermont if the vehicle meets certain qualifications where they will issue you a title based on just having a bill of sale. And it does not have to be from the legal title owner.
Straightforward ProcessThe car doesn’t have to be in Vermont. It doesn’t have to ever been titled in Vermont. You don’t have to be in Vermont. It’s a very straightforward process.
DIY SolutionYou can do it yourself. You don’t have to pay anybody or hire anybody to do yourself process. And it’s a document you can download from our website at cartitles.com.
Additional AssistanceYou can also ask questions about particular title problems at our website consumers title org. If you have a tricky title problem you need some free assistance with, we can give you some advice.
Start with the DMVThe main thing is start with the DMV. You might have to be persistent, but they can give you some answers. But if they can’t help you, contact our website.
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One of the solutions for a lost vehicle title car title solutions depends upon your particular scenario what papers you have there’s always an answer to getting a title.
DIY Title SolutionsThere’s no online title company that would charge you money that can do anything that you cannot do yourself if it’s doable you can do yourself at no charge.
The Role of Online Title AgenciesThe only reason why there’s online title agencies that charge money is because they know about a process that is kind of a hidden secret that we’re keeping from you to charge money for so depending on your scenario there’s always a solution you can do yourself it may be some red tape maybe some paperwork but it will have a very little or no cost.
ConclusionTo find out what that scenario is for your vehicle ask a question at our website consumerstitle.org
So how do you proceed if you’ve got a title for a car from the prior owner, not from the current owner? This is Dave at cartitles.com.
Problem IdentificationFrom was not the legal title owner. They got the title from somebody else and is just transferring it to them. It’s presented by a different person.
Risks InvolvedThe seller and the owner—there’s risk in taking that car because you don’t know if the legal owner actually signed that title. Maybe it’s a different signature. You don’t know what the circumstances were.
Initial StepsThe first thing to do is find out the reasons why that seller doesn’t have the title in their name already. There’s many solutions. There’s vehicle title solutions and car title solutions that you can use to fix this problem.
Key AdviceThe main thing is, don’t lose that document. And as soon as you’re able to transfer it to your name and get that car title solution into your name, then go ahead and do that.
Consequences of DelayBecause if you lose that document, now you have to go back and find a prior owner and track through the chain of title.
ConclusionSo transfer it immediately. Find the solution to that problem as soon as you can. Don’t put it off until you get the car fixed or months later, because if you lose that title or if you lose contact with the seller, it may be more difficult to get that title into your name.
Identifying the ProblemSo how do you fix a problem if you lost your title before you transfer the registration to your name? If you have a vehicle that you purchased and before you switch it to your name, you lost that title, you may have found out from the DMV that you have some difficulties.
Assessing the SituationLet’s start out with this: first, find out how long did you have the car? If you’ve had it a long time and you’d lost track of the prior owner, the seller, that might be a problem. If it’s only been a few days, it might be easier.
Gathering Necessary DocumentsThen look at what documents do you have. Do you have a copy of that title? Do you have a bill of sale that’s signed? Do you have the old registration? Those will help progress you down the chain of events to get a title.
Considering Professional HelpIt’s very likely you can do this yourself. There are many title agents online charging money for services to fix that problem. The only reason they’re charging money is because they have knowledge of a process that you can do yourself, and you just don’t know about it yet. That’s why we have these videos.
DIY Process and ResourcesDepending upon the year of the vehicle, what type of vehicle, and what paperwork you have, it’s a do-it-yourself process. It costs very little, if not zero money. You can ask questions about your particular scenario at consumers title.org.
Visit Our YouTube Channel for more insights and discussions on various topics. Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel. Click here
So if you have a title for a vehicle and it’s not assigned directly from the owner, you have what’s called a jumped title.
Definition and Impact of a Jumped TitleAnd what is the jump title or skip title due for ownership? It means that there are in-between owners from you to the last person who was issued a title by a government agency that have not been documented. So Joe Schmoe has a title, they sell it to Sally Smith, they sell it to somebody else, and then it never gets titled in their names. And then finally you have this title handed to you that’s signed over to you. Maybe those people are reflected, maybe they’re not, but now you have a jump title. This creates gaps in the chain of title so that people who have owned that vehicle but in possession of that vehicle have never established themselves as legal title owners.
Consequences of a Jumped TitleHow does that affect you? Well, the one thing that can happen is some of those owners can come forward with claims of ownership of the vehicle, especially if there are lien holders. If one of those owners pawned the title or borrowed money against the car, that lien holder may come back and try to claim the car.
Legal and Financial ImplicationsNow, there’s also legal issues. The DMV requires that if a title is transferred or a vehicle is transferred, that the title be changed within a certain period of time. It could be 15, could be 30 days. There may also be taxes due on any sale of a vehicle or registration fees. This is often the reason why titles are jumped, to try to eliminate taxes or evade taxes.
Risks with Unlicensed DealersThere’s also curb owners who are unlicensed dealers who buy and sell cars and don’t want to put the car in their name because it can trigger records at the DMV to identify them as a dealer, and they don’t have a license. So be aware that there may be people besides you who have a copy of that title that’s signed over to them or that’s not signed that could affect your ownership if you have a jumped title or skip title.
Getting HelpIf you have questions about getting a title for your vehicle, you can reach the other website at cartitles.com.
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