Getting a Title for Your Car with a Bill of SaleSo you need to get a title for your car and all you have is a bill of sale. You may have been running into some difficulty because in most states they require more than just a bill of sale to get you a legal title in your name. Fortunately, you can do it yourself without having to pay any companies to get a title for your car.
Step-by-Step ProcessStep-by-step process goes like this: first, go to the Vermont DMV website. Make sure it’s the actual government website from Vermont; looks like this over my shoulder. No, I know what you’re saying, you’re not in Vermont, you may not be from Vermont. That doesn’t matter; we’ll talk about that in a second.
Download the FormDownload this form from the Vermont DMV. There’s a link on their site. You can fill it out online, or you can even download it. You can find it at cartitles.com as well. Send in that form to the state of Vermont. There may be a fee of $40 or so depending upon what type of vehicle you have.
Receiving the Registration TitleThey will send you what’s called a registration title. That’s their form of a title for a vehicle of that type. Once you receive that in the mail, that’s the legal ownership document.
Exchanging for a Legal TitleStep 3 is to take that to your state DMV and exchange it for a legal title in your state, in your name. At that point, you’ll have full clear title for the car. You can sell it, you can insure it, you can register it, do whatever you want.
Additional NotesYou don’t have to be from Vermont, you never have to go to Vermont, you never have to—the car doesn’t have to be from Vermont. It’s just a process in that state that allows you to get a legal title in your name. You can do this yourself; you don’t have to pay anybody to do it. It’s all a direct consumer process that you can use. Again, you can download the form from the Vermont DMV. You can even get it from cartitles.com without having to pay any outside service fees.
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So if you’re watching this video you probably have a vehicle that you’re looking to get a title for and you’re searching online for places or websites for information on how to get a title for that car. The good news is this is something you can do yourself for free.
Avoiding Unnecessary CostsYou may have come across companies and websites that’ll charge you money to get a title for your car, but if it’s your car you should be able to get a title for it. This is called a level two title recovery.
Using a Bill of SaleIf you have a bill of sale for the vehicle when you purchased it, you can use a process to get a title for the vehicle without having to pay an outside company.
Steps to Obtain a TitleHere’s how it works: first of all, you’re going to go to the website for the state of Vermont DMV. Then you’re going to download this form. You can actually download it for free from that website. You can even fill it out on the website online and then print it out from there. You’re going to send that to the Vermont DMV along with a very small fee, maybe $40 or so depending on what kind of vehicle you have. At some point, they’re going to send you in the mail a registration title for that vehicle.
Vermont Residency Not RequiredNow you may be saying, I don’t live in Vermont, my car is not in Vermont. It doesn’t matter. The car doesn’t have to be in Vermont, you don’t have to be in Vermont, you never have to go to Vermont. What’s going to happen is they’re going to send you their version of a title.
Using the Vermont TitleWhen you get it in the mail, you take that to your state and then in your state you’re going to get your title for your car. Once you have that Vermont registration title, you don’t have to go there, you don’t have to ever have the vehicle there, you don’t have to get it inspected there. All you need to do is download that form for free.
Why Companies ChargeThe only reason that companies charge you money to do this is because they know about it and you don’t. Now you do, so you can do it for free.
Hiring a CompanyIf you do decide that you don’t want to do this yourself and you want to pay somebody to do it, that’s fine. You can do that. There’s companies that might charge you 70 or 80 bucks on top of that to do this for you. Make sure, however, that the company is licensed because doing car titles requires a license in most states. Also, that they have a good physical address. Look up their address online, make sure it’s not a PO box or a mailing company because they’re going to have your personal information. They’re going to have your copy of your driver’s license, they might even have a power of attorney to do paperwork for you, so make sure it’s legit if you’re going to go that route.
Bill of Sale RequirementsMake sure also that you do have a good bill of sale for that car. It doesn’t have to be from the prior owner, it doesn’t have to be from the registered owner. It has to be a bill of sale for the vehicle. You can actually download a free copy of that online. You can even handwrite it on a piece of paper with just the seller’s signature and the date that it was sold.
ConclusionSo again, you can do this for free. You don’t have to pay anybody. Get your car title that way. You can register it, sell it, insure it, do whatever you want with it from that point forward. The links you’ll find on the Vermont DMV website or even at cartitles.com have a free download.
Today we’re going to look at the top few common errors that are made on the Vermont registration form which is what many people use to get a title when you only have a bill of sale. So we talk to Vermont many, many times looking at files and cases for our clients. They tell us all the time what are the common errors they see when customers fill out the form themselves and we’re gonna go over those with you so you can avoid those issues if you decide to do this on your own.
Section 4: Most Common ErrorSo here’s the Vermont VD-119 form, very common. The first most common error is in section 4 where asked what is being applied for: new registration, lease buyout, title only, renew. Many, many clients will select title only because they intend to be getting a title. However, when you’re using the Vermont process to get a title, you’re not actually getting the title from Vermont. You’re getting a registration from Vermont, which then you bring to your state to get a title. So the box you need to check off is new registration, not title only. I can’t tell you how many times Vermont tells us that they’ve received applications for title only that they have to send back. So that’s the number one error that people will make when they fill out the VD-119.
Section 3: Second Common ErrorThe second common error is in section 3 to start putting down things like lien holders and prior owners. All you really need to do in section 3 is enter the name of the person that you bought the car from. They have to match your bill of sale. Now, if you put the date and you want to put the address, that’s fine. It does not have to be signed. A lot of times customers will sign their own name there or they’ll put down a Vermont dealer number or their own address. Now, in theory, you could actually leave it blank, but we recommend writing in the name of the person that matches your bill of sale. It has to match exactly. If it doesn’t match exactly, they will send it back.
Section 1: Third Common ErrorAnother common error is when you put down section 1 vehicles owned. They’ll put down the name of the prior owner, which says owner. This is for your name, the new owner of the vehicle. So if you put down the last owner, it’s not gonna work. You’re gonna actually get a registration that you paid for in somebody else’s name. So those are the three most common errors.
Additional TipsA couple other things to watch out for is the registration type. Make sure it matches the vehicle’s in a car, truck, motorcycle. We also recommend not applying for an antique plate. It’s just gonna open up a can of worms. You’re gonna have to do more work because you’re not going to use the license plate anyways. You’re gonna be using their paper to get your title in your state. If it’s a truck, make sure you put down the weight; otherwise, it’ll get sent back. If it’s got different types of brakes, air or hydraulic, you want to check that off.
Calculating the TaxMost importantly, this is the last thing that is very, very common is calculating the tax correctly. The tax is calculated on either the purchase price from your bill of sale or the NADA value, whichever is higher. So make sure it’s correct. If it’s the wrong amount, they will send it back. You also have to make sure that all of the other qualifications for the vehicle are matched. The right year, make sure it’s not too new, make sure that the VIN number exists on your bill of sale.
Bill of Sale RequirementsAnd that’s something else you have to make sure, which is not on this form, is that your bill of sale is correct for the application. It has to have the name of the buyer and seller, has to have a date, has to have the VIN number. A lot of people think that a bill of sale could just say 1985 Chevy Camaro without specifying the VIN number to know which Chevy Camaro it is. So make sure that you have that on your documentation.
ConclusionFortunately, they give you two copies. If you mess one up, you can do another one. It talks about verification. That’s something that we cover in other videos. So if you have any questions, you can reach us at our website, cartitles.com, and there’s a lot more information there, including these forms you can download for free. Or if you want us to help you out with it, we’re glad to do it, and you can use this process along with many hundreds of thousands of other people to get a title for your vehicle when you only have a bill of sale.
So, how do you register or title vehicles with a previous insurance claim or salvage history that have been through the auction process? Many vehicles come from Copart or IAAI, and those vehicles have prior title claims or title histories that in some cases prevent getting a title or, best-case-scenario, require a lot of steps to get a title. One of those steps is to have the vehicle approved and inspected to go back on the road.
Inspection Process in Washington StateHere’s an example from the state of Washington that talks about how to get rebuilt salvaged vehicles back on the road. This is just a guide that they describe their steps. So the first thing they have to recognize is you have to do the inspection. What’s going to be inspected, right? It talks about the statute in Washington, which is RCW 4612 560. It authorizes the State Patrol to inspect certain vehicles for titling purposes, and part of the inspection is for safety to make sure that the car is rebuilt, but also to make sure that there’s no stolen vehicles and stolen parts used in the reconstruction of the vehicle. So the officer will inspect all major component parts used to construct your vehicle. Documentation must be presented at the time of the inspection to show legal ownership of the vehicle and the parts used. You have to have a title for your vehicle, but you also have to have proof of the source of the parts. This is just Washington State, but many other states, almost all other states, have a very similar or exactly the same process.
When Inspection is RequiredSo then, when does a rebuilt salvage vehicle require an inspection? If the vehicle has been rebuilt after the certificate of title was turned into Salvage, then a reissued title and registration requires the inspection. What parts are required to pass inspection? Major component parts are what they talk about, and every state has a list of what those are. In this case, it’s anything engines, frame, transmission, body parts like door, front differential, rear clips, quarter panel, seats, hoods, bumpers, fenders, and airbag.
Inspection DetailsSo when the inspector will look at the vehicle, they’re gonna look at the original damage history report from the insurance company and see what parts were damaged or missing. They’re gonna look to make sure that first of all, those parts are there and fixed to safety standards, but then they’re gonna look to make sure you have receipts to show where they came from. Please note, your vehicle will not pass inspection if any major component parts are damaged or missing. If originally installed airbags must be included in working order. So that’s what they’re gonna make sure first, that the parts are there and they’re not damaged. If you have a crashed car, you can’t bring it in crashed and say, “pass my car now.” If it’s fixed, that’s fine.
Documentation for InspectionYou need to have documentation for the inspection. You have to have the inspection request, picture identification, the certificate of title, or receipts for the component parts. The receipts must be made out to you, the vehicle owner, your immediate family member, or a licensed shop. So you can’t have a receipt that is in somebody else’s name. You have to have bought these parts. Also, the source of the parts is very important to make sure that you have correct parts from a private party. They must be presented with a signed and released title to the vehicle the parts came off or a notarized bill of sale. It’s pretty serious. You can’t just buy, you know, a fender off of Craigslist and just get a slip of paper receipt paying $50 for a fender. You either have to have the title for the vehicle that fender came off or a notarized bill of sale with the VIN number of that vehicle in that part. The notarized bill of sale must include the name, address, and number of the seller, the purchaser, the vehicle information the parts came from (year, make, model, and VIN number), and the date of the sale. They’re pretty serious about making sure that these parts aren’t stolen.
Internet Purchased Parts RestrictionsHere’s the other thing. You can’t buy parts off of eBay. Parts purchased from the internet or electronically will only be accepted for new aftermarket components. You can’t buy used fenders or used parts off of eBay and get them approved for inspection. It has to be either in person or new parts.
Purchasing from Insurance AuctionsThen it gets into if you purchased complete vehicles or parts vehicles, and they even mention the two most popular options, Copart or IAAI. If you purchase from an insurance auction, you need these documents. It gets into the inspection guide. You have to schedule the inspection. You can’t just walk in. That’s a quick guide for the state of Washington. Most states are going to be similar. Use this as a template or a guide for purchasing or fixing a vehicle that’s a salvage. Every state is going to be a little different. Some states have a very specific form that has to have each part identified with a VIN number on the form.
Auction Industry Views on TitlesSo how does the auction industry view titles? Well, we’re gonna take a look at Copart and IAAI. Here’s IAAI. They follow all the titling laws. They’re having problems with titles too, right? They’re finding that they’re having to support there’s a legislative update February 2020 written by IAAI. Okay, they are introducing bills. These bills were introduced on behalf of IAAI, allowing insurance companies to apply for titles because many times the insurer will ship these cars to IAAI or Copart and try to auction them off and then never have a title. The buyer can’t do anything with it, and they just stack up on the lot at Copart and they can’t do anything with them, and it takes up space. Copart can’t get titles for them either. We deal with Copart all the time as far as getting titles, so they’re trying to pass laws that would allow salvage pools to attain ownership documents if the vehicle is abandoned at the salvage pool, right? And this only applies to salvage pools.
Legislative Efforts and ChallengesSo here’s IAAI, and in this particular example here, Kansas House Bill 2501. Well, it’s so serious that Copart actually gave testimony to try to pass House Bill 2501 that talks about the vehicles abandoned to Copart. We have a vehicle which charges have incurred, there’s no title left on our facility, and they can’t dispose of it. This is a major problem. So here’s the same exact scenario that buyers run into, that even the auctions themselves have difficulties getting titles for the vehicles.
Summary and RecommendationsTo make a long story short, if you’re buying a car from Copart or IAAI, expect that the title’s not going to be a clean, clear title, and it’s going to be subject to difficulties of getting a new title in your name. Difficulties could be getting it inspected. Sometimes to get an inspection, if you go back to the rebuild salvage requirements, in order to get an inspection, you have to have a certificate of title to show you bought the vehicle. Well, if you don’t have that, you can’t even get the inspection, but you can’t get a title without the inspection. So it’s kind of like a catch-22. There may be other ways that you can request ownership information. The state of California talks about how to register a junk vehicle if you don’t have the title. You may be able to do a statement of facts in order to prove ownership. Proof of ownership could be a junk receipt or a reassignment form. If you don’t have that, you can use different types of statement of facts. It’s kind of like an affidavit of ownership, but this is what California does. I’m talking about junk and salvage vehicles.
ConclusionEither way, the Copart or IAAI salvage vehicle is going to have problems getting a title because there’s a history established for that VIN number in a federal database. That’s going to require you, best-case-scenario, to have the vehicle inspected, show all the parts receipts. Sometimes even doing that won’t get you a title if it’s been determined to be a junk vehicle. So do your due diligence when you’re buying a vehicle, either directly from Copart, through a broker, or even through a third party that’s purchased it. If you have any questions, you can reach us at our website at cartitles.com.
In many instances, the reason why there is difficulty obtaining a lien release for a motor vehicle is that the lender is either out of business or cannot be contacted. A lender out of business or a lien holder that apparently is not operating could seem to be a pretty big obstacle to getting a title. We’re going to walk you through how we perform that project within our company and you could do the same thing. It’s a pretty straightforward process.
Researching the LenderSo the first thing we do is research that particular lender. Even if they’ve gone out of business or ceased operations, a financial institution or lender typically does not close or close down, even though outwardly it may appear they’re not operating or their phone numbers disconnected. Even if their corporation has ended, there is usually a successor entity or corporation or a registered agent, either one of which can execute a lien release.
Example of Ecsta BankHere’s an example we’ll walk through of finding the correct party who’s authorized to sign a lien release for a long-since-paid-off loan. Here’s a bank we pulled up. Here’s an example of the document that our investigative researchers create when we’re getting a lien release for a closed bank. This bank is called Ecsta Bank, and we even have their old logo. If you notice, the first line says inactive as of 1996. That was a long time ago, and just to jump ahead, we’ll show you where we gather this information and where you can research this so you can do this on your own. The information provided will show you what happened and why they’re no longer active.
Mergers and SuccessorsUsually, this is due to a merger. The reason it says without assistance is that the federal government, in some cases, will assist a bank or a financial institution to merge or to fold or to become associated with another financial institution. They do that because the federal government guarantees most banks through the FDIC or some other guarantor program. So it’s important to note whether it’s with or without assistance. We’ll get to that in a little bit of time. You’ll find that the successor bank initially was North Fork Bank, and it’ll give the headquarters and the street address. But if this bank was inactive as of 1996, it’s unlikely that the bank or any successor is located at this address 30 some odd years later.
Detailed Bank HistoryThen there’ll be some basic information about the bank, such as when it was established, FDIC insurance, their FDIC certificate number, what type of bank it was, what their assets were, the history, and then it goes through the timeline. This is all the information that we chain together because each step is important to get to the final result of who can sign. Now you can’t jump to the end; you have to go step by step in this chain of ownership, chain of title. In 1907, it was established as Bank of Suffolk County, changed name to Ecsta Bank in 1980, and acquired another bank. You’ll see a lot of banks will have acquired other institutions along the way, changed trust powers to a certain format, and then here’s an important event, which is why we highlighted it. In 1996, they merged into and subsequently operated as part of North Fork Bank.
Further AcquisitionsWhat was formerly Ecsta Bank is no longer operating as Ecsta Bank; it’s North Fork Bank. If that was the end of this chain of events or the end of the story, that’s who you’d contact. But it goes on from there. That institution now known as North Fork Bank acquired Home Federal Savings, acquired Reliance, acquired Jamaica Savings Bank, and was reorganized (which just means that their stockholders probably changed). They acquired the Trust Company and acquired Greenpoint Bank. Then here’s another important event: in 2007, it merged into and subsequently operated as part of Capital One. Everybody knows Capital One, right? It’s on TV every day: “What’s in your wallet?” So here you go: here’s Ecsta Bank, not operating since 1996, operated as part of Capital One. That being said, Capital One can now sign a lien release for this bank.
Requesting a Lien ReleaseWe’ll get to exactly how to go about doing that momentarily, but this is the chain of events and how you put it together to get to the current authorized person to provide a lien release. You can get all this information on our website, cartitles.com, as well. But this is walking you through it. Since then, they acquired some other banks, but it didn’t change the name. For example, they acquired Chevy Chase Bank. Chevy Chase Bank is now operating as Capital One also, so that’s not who you would contact. You’ll see later that they acquired some other institutions, such as Superior Savings and Chevy Chase Bank, but even though those occurred after the 2007 merger, those entities would not be authorized to sign for Ecsta Bank because they’re now doing business as Capital One also. They were acquired by Capital One. So that’s where that chain of events goes to.
The Process of Obtaining a Lien ReleaseThe easy answer is to go to Capital One and request a lien release in a very certain way. You can’t just say, “I want a lien release for my car,” because they’re not going to be able to find it if you don’t give them more information. Where does this record series come from? Well, there are two sources. You’re going to find the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). You can see part of their online resources here. You can research the chain of events for bank ownership at the FDIC. You can also look at the Secretary of State. Here’s an example of a bank; this has nothing to do with the prior search, but in Florida, here’s a First Savings Bank. It’s an active bank; it has their address. It also has what’s called a registered agent. So if this bank ever became non-operating, this registered agent may still be active to sign on behalf of the bank. You’ll also see officers, such as the executive vice president. Even if the bank becomes non-operable, one or more of these parties may be available to sign lien release documents.
Additional ResourcesThese are the two places you start with a search. Again, our investigative researchers have access to other investigative tools, but typically, this is where you’re going to start to find out who the lien holder is. On our website, cartitles.com, you’ll see a page that’s a resource page. Right up here on the right-hand side, you’ll see resources. It’ll have useful links, every state DMV, all the forms for every state, duplicate title links, and prior owner search links. At the very bottom, there’s a section for lien release links. These are all the major lenders that are very common to request lien releases from. These are currently operating lenders, so if your lender is closed, you may have to go through this process.
Completing the FormObtaining the lien release, once you’ve discovered who the lender is, goes like this: first, you get the actual form. Here’s an example of the form for the state of California. Every state has a different form, and you’re going to want to use the form for the state where the title is coming from or where the title was issued. What you want to do is fill out the form yourself. Fill in the vehicle identification number, the model, the registered owner, the name of the bank, the lien holder, and you want to send it to that lien holder by postal mail. You don’t want to call them, you don’t want to email them, and you don’t want to fax them because the DMV at some point is going to need the original document.
Mailing the FormIf you call the lender, you’re leaving it to them to find this form, fill it out, and mail it to you, which they may never do, or they may lose it or forget about you because it was all on the phone. It’s all verbal; there’s nothing documented. You want to fill out this form in advance and mail it to them. In fact, we recommend sending an envelope in what you send them with your return address on it with a stamp so they can easily mail it back. You’ll get it back quicker. No one’s going to leave it on their desk because they can’t find the stamp from the mail room or print out an envelope. You’re going to make it very easy for that person to get that lien release back to you. For the cost of a stamp on an envelope, it’s worth it to have that sped up. That’s how we do it as a title for our clients. You could do the same thing: look up the information, mail a lien release.
Letter of Non-InterestOne last little note: in addition to sending a lien release document, you also want to send what’s called a letter of non-interest. For example, if you go back to the example of Ecsta Bank, you contact Capital One and ask them, “Hey, I need a lien release for my vehicle from Ecsta Bank back in 1990.” If they do not have the records on computer or microfilm and cannot find them easily, they may not be able to send a lien release because they can’t see that it was paid. However, they can send what’s called a letter of non-interest saying, “We don’t have any interest in this subject vehicle with this VIN number,” and that may be the alternative. That letter of non-interest is equally valid with the DMV. You want to give them that option because if they can’t do a lien release, instead of being stuck and not getting a response back, they have the option of sending you a letter of non-interest.
ConclusionThis is the process we use to obtain lien releases for clients. You can do the same thing, or if you have us do it, this is what we do, so it’s fully transparent. If you have any questions, you can reach us at our website, cartitles.com. There’s a whole section about lien releases, how it works, what the details are, and we’re glad to help. Of course, our customer service department is available for calls anytime we’re open. If you have questions, there’s a huge FAQ. Remember that the resources section of our website has every form, every document, and every link to every state DMV that you can imagine. We’d be glad to help you.
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