How To Block A Title Transfer

Preventing Unauthorized Vehicle Transfers
Did you know that you can put a hold on a vehicle title to keep it from being transferred against your wishes or against your will in California? This is called a courtesy stop request. In some states, they have a different name for it like a title hold or hold request, or sometimes it’s called a stop title.

Process for Requesting a Courtesy Stop
There’s a process for it that you need to go through, and it’s designed to prevent unauthorized transfers of your vehicle. Maybe your vehicle’s been impounded, maybe it’s been towed, and you want to make sure no one gets the title for your vehicle.

Filling out Form REG 500
In California, this form, this courtesy stop request, it’s a one-page form, it’s called REG 500. You put in your requester name, address, the license plate VIN number, make and model, and you check the box saying “I request a vehicle license and title courtesy stop be placed on the vehicle for the following reasons,” and you type in whatever the reasons are.

Legal Considerations and Extensions
You may have to involve the courts. It says here, “Copy the complaint or petition for injunctive relief,” and we’ll talk about that here on this other form momentarily has to be attached to it if it applies. You can also request an extension or you can request removal. And then you sign it.

Sending the Form
You do not have to have it notarized, but you do have to swear that what you’re saying is true, put your license number, and you can print it, keep a copy, and send it to this particular address, attention courtesy stops.

Conclusion
This is the process for California. Again, every state has something similar. In other videos, we’ll talk specifically about other states, but the important thing is to understand this is for preventing an unauthorized transfer of your vehicle.

Ensuring Legal Protection
If you’re afraid that somebody might be looking to improperly take the title out of your name or to put in somebody else’s name or maybe add a lien to the vehicle, maybe you’re afraid that somebody is going to forge your signature on a title or to request a title for a vehicle that somehow is not in your possession.

DMV Stop and Duration
This courtesy stop request going to the DMV automatically stops the DMV from transferring title for 60 days. If you don’t have your injunction or a court order by then, you can get an extension as long as you have a file stamped copy. You’ll still need to officially serve the DMV with the complaint once that happens with the court if it’s a court issue, but you can use this as a method to protect your interest in a vehicle when there’s a risk or a threat or it’s vulnerable to being transferred out of your name or somebody slapping a lien on it or somebody selling it outside of your control.

Real-life Example
We had a client last month where the issue was that they were traveling, they were out of town, and their vehicle they left behind. They traveled by air and they got wind that somebody had moved their vehicle and maybe they had taken the title from their desk where they had it stored and they were wondering if somebody can assign forge their name and put the title in somebody else’s name. So that’s the reason they were interested in doing this courtesy stop request or a title hold to make sure that nobody either accidentally or maliciously was going to take their title and switch it over to another name or put a lien on it where they weren’t able to retain ownership of their vehicle.

Source and Legal Advice
This particular information comes from the Sacramento Public Law Library. Again, there may be legal matters involved with this. One thing they do tell you is make sure you keep insurance on the vehicle. You do not want to let your insurance lapse or cancel it even if the vehicle is not in your possession because any damage you’re not going to get paid for if you don’t have insurance. Any liability that happens with the vehicle, you may want to have protection against with an insurance policy. So get good insurance advice, good legal advice, but there is a method if you’re worried about somebody messing with your title or doing something sketchy with your title that you can stop any title changes using this process.

Final Caution
Again, good legal advice and do this properly to ensure that your vehicle doesn’t end up in the wrong hands and that you cannot access your title records for a vehicle that you legally own.

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