How to Get Your Home Title if You Lost the Original

You will need the title of your home to sell it.

Losing track of the title to your home is frustrating when it comes time to transfer the deed to a new owner or if you want to use the home as collateral for a purchase or loan. The deed is actually the proof of the original purchase transaction, and you cannot obtain another actual deed to a home. You can get a certified copy of the deed or title to your home relatively easily. The certified copy can be used in the same manner as an original.

Things You'll Need

• Proof of identification
• Money to pay fees
• Tax identification number
• Property address

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Instructions

1. Contact the office of the county clerk where the house is located. If you are unsure of where the deed to the home was recorded, contact the lawyer who performed the original purchase transaction for the home or contract a title search company to ask for the location of the title to the home.

2. Provide the county clerk with the address of the property and the tax Identification number for the property. The tax identification number is listed on your property tax information. Request a duplicate title for your home, and provide your identification information if it is requested. Some counties charge a fee if you cannot prove you are the property owner.

3. Pay required fees to obtain a duplicate title. The title either will be printed on site or mailed to you within a predetermined time period.

Tips & Warnings

• Mobile homes are titled like automobiles rather than houses. You need to contact your local department of motor vehicles or revenue and request a duplicate title if you have a mobile home. The home should be registered to you, or you can provide its identification number.

• If there is a lien on your property, your home title is held by the lien holder. Contact your lien holder to obtain proof of home ownership.

References

• University of Florida: Replacing Lost or Damaged Papers
• Missouri Department of Revenue: Missing Titles / Applying for a Duplicate Title
• Bargaineering: How To Replace Destroyed or Lost Important Documents; Jim Wang