How to Look Up Property Ownership

Property ownership data is recorded in county records.

The homeownership rate in 2009 was 67.4 percent, according to the Danter Company. Homeowners have many benefits, including tax deductions and property value appreciation. There are four common types of property ownership–joint tenancy (property owned by two or more people who have equal shares), tenancy in entirety (two people share equal interest in a property), sole ownership (one person has full ownership), and tenants in common (two or more people own a property with unequal shares). When a property is purchased, the deed is recorded and is public information for people to research.

Instructions

1. Get the physical street address of the property which is a description of the property location that includes the house number, street name, city and state. Without the property address, you will not be able to locate the owners.

2. Find the county where the property is located. A county is a local government that is run by a group called a county board of commissioners. To find the county, you can conduct a search on the Internet on websites such as NETRonline. This site allows you to input the property address, and the website will provide the county.

3. Call the register of deeds department in the county where the property is located. This department keeps a record of all properties in the county. Most counties have an online search database that allows you to search by property address.

4. Contact the county assessor office. The county assessor office maintains tax records of all properties in a specific county. Call them or go online to its website to conduct a search on its online portal. Generally, the search provides the names of the property owners and if taxes are paid or delinquent.

5. Ask a Realtor to search public records in the Multiple Listing System (MLS). The MLS is a database used by licensed real estate professionals to help them market listings and research property data. The public records section of the MLS lists the names of individuals who are on a property deed and mortgagee information.

6. Seek assistance from a title company. Title companies conduct thorough examinations of the property titles, real estate ownership and land records. (You may have to pay a small fee to initiate the search and obtain the property owner names.)

References

• Danter Company: Homeownership Rates
• FreeAdvice: What are some of the common forms of homeownership?
• Anoka County Minnesota: Glossary of Terms
• Minnesota Counties: What is a county?
• Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: About the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

Resources

• Your Dictionary.com: How do I Find out Who Owns a Property?
• RealEstateABC: The Multiple Listing Service
• DaveLockwoodDaily: The Title Company's Role