Title basics

Insurance, ownership and title fundamentals

16 guides

Title basics · New York City
ACRIS Deed Search: How to Read NYC Property Records
How to find a NYC deed, mortgages and paid-off loans in ACRIS, what the document codes mean, and which liens and charges ACRIS does not show.
Title basics · Long Island
Bulkheads, Docks and Waterfront Title on Long Island: Who Owns the Bay Bottom and What Permits You Need
Buying Long Island waterfront? Who owns the bay bottom, why the property line moves, what permits a bulkhead or dock needs, and what title covers.
Title basics · New York City
Deed Theft in NYC: How It Happens, How to Check ACRIS, Free Alerts and What Title Insurance Covers
How NYC owners spot a fake deed in ACRIS, get free recording alerts, what to do if one is recorded, and what an owner's title policy covers.
Title basics · New York City
Deeding a NYC Rental Into Your LLC: Transfer Taxes, Filings, Your Mortgage and Your Title Policy
Moving a NYC rental into your own LLC: when transfer tax applies, the LLC member list, the risk your lender calls the loan, and title coverage.
Title basics · New York State
New York Deed Theft Law: What the 2023 and 2024 Changes Mean for Title
How New York's 2023 and 2024 deed theft laws work: court pauses, prosecutor notices, cancelled deeds, and new risks for buyers and lenders at closing.
Title basics · New York City
New York Title and Closing Glossary: Plain-English Definitions
Plain-English meanings of New York title and closing terms, from title insurance, deeds and lis pendens to CEMA, the mansion tax and ACRIS.
Title basics · New York City
NYC Property Records: How to Find Who Owns a Property in All Five Boroughs
Who owns a property in NYC? Free places to look it up, ACRIS, the Richmond County Clerk, DOF, PLUTO and HPD, and how to find who is behind an LLC.
Title basics · New York State
Owner’s vs Lender’s Title Insurance in New York: What Each Protects
Owner's vs lender's title insurance in New York: who each policy protects, how much each pays, how long each lasts, and when a buyer gets both.
Title basics · New York State
Removing a Deceased Spouse From a New York Deed: What You Actually Need
When a spouse dies, a New York survivor usually needs no new deed. What decides it, and what the title company asks for when you later sell or refinance.
Title basics · New York City
The Survey Exception in New York Title Insurance: Survey Readings, Inspections and How to Remove It
What the survey exception in a New York title report means, how a survey or survey inspection changes it, and what each option costs.
Title basics · New York State
Title Insurance Claim Examples in New York: Forgery, Missed Liens, Boundaries and More
Eight New York title insurance claim examples, from forged deeds to missed liens and boundary disputes, and whether an owner's policy pays for each.
Title basics · New York State
Title Search and Title Report in New York: What They Show and How to Read Them
What a New York title search checks, how far back it goes, how to read Schedules A and B of the title report, and why a free ACRIS search is not the same.