Can You Remove Someone from Deed without Their Knowledge

To emphasize transparency, education, and consent of all co-owners, we always draft transfer deeds with the permission of all co-owners. Nevertheless, there will always be cases where we must remove a co-owner without consent from the actual property title.

Throughout this article about removing someone from a deed without their knowledge, we discuss the limitations of amending transfer documents without the participation and consent of all co-owners.

 

Is It Possible To Remove Someone Without Their Knowledge From A Deed?

Can you remove someone from deed without their knowledge? Co-owners cannot be removed from the title of residential property in California without their consent, as they are in most other states. It is essential to obtain the consent of all co-owners before altering property deeds to ensure transparency and avoid fraud.

It is the owner’s responsibility to consent to transfer their real estate interest in California. Removing a co-owner without their knowledge and consent could be deemed fraud, resulting in civil and criminal punishment.

Besides breaking criminal laws, such acts can lead to civil legal action by a wrongfully removed co-owner. Transfer deeds become public records upon recording, and it is easy to track changes in ownership. Providing the most up-to-date ownership information and ensuring transparency ensures that an owner may have legal recourse against the wrongdoer if they disappear from a deed.

To prevent unauthorized changes to ownership of real property, co-owners should check public records regularly. It is possible for such changes to take the form of recorded property deeds, which are legal documents that transfer ownership.

It is common for property transfer deeds to be drafted in California as warranty or quitclaim deeds, despite meeting specific statutory requirements. A warranty deed guarantees the transferor has the exclusive right to transfer the entire property and has clear ownership. In contrast, a quitclaim deed does not provide any protection or guarantee of ownership.

Because of this, quitclaim deeds exist only in a few situations, such as transfers among family members. It is essential to give quitclaim deeds the highest level of scrutiny when subject to a title search, as they are often used to change real estate ownership unauthorized to the owner.

 

What You Need To Know About Removing Someone from a Deed

Can you remove someone from deed without their knowledge? There are some circumstances in which you must still remove someone from a deed, even though you cannot remove them without their knowledge or consent. There are several reasons why an individual may need to withdraw from a house deed, including death, divorce, and changes in personal circumstances.

It is relatively easy to remove yourself from a deed. Depending on your situation, you can use a quitclaim deed, a conveyance deed, or an interspousal transfer deed. In this case, you voluntarily release your interest in a property and transfer it to the remaining owner(s) or a trust. You must acknowledge your consent and accept your release here.

You’ll also need to research your state laws regarding changing ownership and the type of deed to use before removing someone else from the deed. Usually, you will need a court order or the person’s cooperation to release them to record a new deed removing them. Quitclaims and warranty deeds are standard solutions.

Upon the death of an owner of a property, ownership passes to the living owners, who may already be co-owners. Alternatively, they may be the new owners of a property whose property was inherited by the deceased through a deed that transfers it upon their death.

 

Registrar’s Office Will Require These Documents

Your local county registrar’s office will require you to submit these documents if you are the surviving owner:

A Death Certificate: This document proves that a person has passed away.

A Notarized Affidavit: You must provide a notary public with your name and contact information to confirm the death and ownership of a property.

The New Deed: Along with the above-listed paperwork, you must also sign and record the new deed with any new co-owners.

Here are the general steps you need to take to remove someone from a deed:

 

Establish property ownership interests and discuss them.

Decide who will be removed from the title and why by talking to co-owners first. Based on this information and your agreement, you will choose which type of deed to use. It would help if you also decided to whom any interest will pass and how ownership will change.

 

To determine the title, get a copy of the current deed.

To verify that the current deed information is accurate, you should get a copy of the currently recorded deed. You can get a copy of the deed from any county registrar’s office.

 

Complete the new deed, review it, and sign it.

You can find some deed forms online and obtain them from your local county office. Please complete the new deed form, review it, and get all parties’ consent and acknowledgment signatures.

 

Make a record of the new deed.

Record the new deed at the county clerk’s office, the county registrar’s office, or the recorder’s office, as the new deed will only be valid if it is properly filed. The office name will vary from county to county.

 

Get a certified copy.

Finally, remember to obtain a certified copy of the deed for your records. While the original deed is still in the county and is not certified, having a copy in the county’s file could be an invaluable reference in the event of a dispute about the title.

 

Update your estate planning documents.

If you do not know and expressly consent to someone removing themselves from a deed, you will be committing fraud or forgery, both of which are illegal. Moreover, an illegally-recorded deed is invalid and can be disputed and set aside by a court. In addition, it is possible to use a court order to remove someone’s interest in a property against their will.

Lastly, you should include house deeds and any changes you wish to make to real estate ownership in your estate plan. If you pass away, it will be easier for your loved ones if you specify what should happen with your property interest. There will be no further complications with recording a new deed in their name.

Establishing a Will that expresses how you wish your property interest to pass allows you to do this. In addition to setting up a transfer-on-death deed (if permitted by your state), you can also use a conveyance deed to transfer the ownership of your property to a trust. Before you pass away, you might even gift a loved one your property. By planning your estate carefully, you can achieve all of these outcomes.

 

A Property Deed With Your Name On It Means What?

A person whose name appears on a property deed usually means they own the property legally. Property ownership can take many forms, including sole ownership, joint tenancy, and tenants in common. To learn more about these types of ownership, read our previous article.

 

 

Sole ownership:

The simplest real estate ownership is sole ownership, in which one individual holds all rights. However, the tax benefits are minimal.

 

Tenancy in Common:

In a tenancy in common, two or more people share a fundamental property but are not married. Co-owners usually own separate and specific interests in the property that may not be equal. Tenants in common do not have the right of Survivorship to transfer their ownership interests to their heirs rather than the co-owners.

 

Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship:

Co-owners have the right of Survivorship, meaning that if one co-owner dies, we can divide the interest of the surviving co-owner equally among the surviving co-owners. Unlike tenants in common, joint tenants with rights of Survivorship each own an equal share of the property.

 

Tenancy by the Entirety:

This is similar to co-ownership, but it describes co-ownership between married couples.

Individuals with their names associated with any of the above-stated capacities may have certain rights and responsibilities about the subject real property. These may include:

• The property’s use, possession, and use are legal regarding legal and regulatory parameters.
• Transferring an interest in real estate through the property’s sale, gift, or inheritance is possible.
• Providing taxes, insurance, mortgages, and other financial obligations.
• The liability of harm caused to others, such as accidents, injuries, etc., on the subject’s real property.

 

What If Someone Loses Their Rights Without Consent From A Deed?

Neither you nor another person can remove you from a deed without your express consent. Holding title to a property and appearing as a property owner, your interest in the property cannot pass without your permission.

Even if your property is co-owned with another tenant, you cannot sell it without your consent to a new deed. Despite the possibility that they may transfer their share of the property without your permission, you have protection by law against any transfer.

A person could attempt to record a new deed through fraud or forgery, but even if they succeeded, it would be an illegal and criminal act. Nevertheless, it takes work to accomplish. A court could easily disprove the deed because it isn’t legitimate.

The second is that you could be removed from a deed against your will by a foreclosure or partition action court order. However, these actions could only happen with due process and legal representation. If you are forced to sell the property due to a partition action, you will receive monetary proceeds for your interest share. By exercising due diligence, you can prevent these scenarios entirely.

 

In What Circumstances Can A Person Be Legally Removed From A Deed?

Can you remove someone from deed without their knowledge? Occasionally, removing a co-owner’s name from a deed is possible. For example, if a co-owner dies, their portion of the property becomes part of the estate, which passes to heirs or the living owner.

You can remove someone from a deed through consent or by court order in other situations, such as foreclosure, divorce, or seizure by the government for nonpayment of taxes.

 

Cost of Removing Someone’s Name from the Deed

A deed’s cost of removing a word depends on the following:

• It is possible to remove a name from a deed if all parties are willing to do so
• Refusal to sign by anyone
• Assume that everyone is agreeable to removing someone from a deed by signing.

The following are some things you’ll need when everyone agrees:

• The cost of a quit claim deed ranges from $350 to $700
• A warranty claim deed costs between $350 and $700
• The cost of a buyout agreement is $500 – $1,000

There are some things you’ll need when there is no agreement between all parties:

• An equity claim deed can range from $350 to $700.
• 500-1000 dollars to sign a buyout agreement
• The price of a partitioning action must be at least $10,000
• More than $10,000 was included in a judge’s order
• If the parties agree that the price of removing a name from the deed could be anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000.

 

Can We Change Our Deed If We Want To?

Whether you own your property jointly or individually, there are various deed types and ways to hold it in California. How you own your property may affect your ability to sell it in the future, whether you are joint tenants with survivorship rights, tenants by the entirety, or a tenant in common.

If you wish to change a deed, you must determine how you want to own the property and which transfer method is appropriate. Transferring your deed may be more difficult if the property has a mortgage. For example, you may have to refinance the mortgage to share your deed with a new owner.

 

Conclusions

Does this mean you can remove someone without their knowledge from a deed? Even though the answer is no, you should better understand how deeds work to protect yourself and your family more effectively.

In addition to death, divorce, and sale, there are several reasons why property ownership may change. Following the necessary procedure for the basis of the removal is crucial when removing an individual’s name from a deed.

We can consider transfers that need to follow proper procedures properly or illegally. If you want to avoid the common pitfalls of going alone, consult an experienced real estate lawyer.