Title Monitoring Service
Cunningham & Co. helps you protect the largest investment you own with our reliable title monitoring service.
Scammers and identity thieves are increasingly taking advantage of unsuspecting homeowners, and in some cases, selling or mortgaging homes without the rightful owners even realizing it. Our service provides you with total peace of mind, knowing that your property title is being carefully monitored.
Why should you set up title monitoring?
Protect against fraud
Gain peace of mind from having expert legal eyes on your property title. Don't get blindsided by fraud and unexpected liens.
Protect ownership & equity
Identity thieves can put a mortgage or lien against your home or even sell your home without you even realizing it.
Prevent delays when selling
Issues with your property title can scare away potential buyers. Buyers want to ensure that they are getting clean title.
Prevent refinancing issues
Identify and rectify issues before they become problematic. Lenders are hesitant to refinance when they see title issues.
For only $175 per year
(less than your Starbucks)
Close Monitoring
We will closely monitor your title. Specifically, we will let you know if there are any transfers of land, liens, mortgages, judgments, or statutory rights of way that are placed on your title.
Quick Alerts
If there are any changes to your property title, then we will alert you. This will give you the opportunity to take quick action to fix the problem. Additionally, we will provide you with an update once per year.
A property or land title refers to the legal document that proves ownership of a piece of real estate. In British Columbia, the land title is registered with the Land Title and Survey Authority and includes information such as the property’s legal description, registered owner(s), and any mortgages, judgments, or liens on the property.
Title fraud occurs when a fraudster impersonates a property owner using stolen or false identification and then obtains one or more mortgages using the owner’s property as collateral before running off with the mortgage proceeds.
It also occurs when a fraudster registers forged documents in the Land Title Office in order to transfer the ownership of a property from the rightful owner to the fraudster (or to an accomplice).
This recently happened in British Columbia where innocent people have lost their homes due to forged documents. In one case, property managers responsible for renting the homes took instructions from the fraudster from different phone numbers and email addresses than those authorized by the owners, and shared documents that enabled the fraudster to better impersonate the owners. The property was then fraudulently listed for sale by realtors who accepted a scanned copy of a forged passport to verify the identity of the supposed owner.
In another case, an unsuspecting legal professional retained by the fraudster impersonating the registered owner also relied on a copy of the forged passport to verify the identity of the client, and assisted the fraudster in transferring the title to the property.
The short answer is no. Most people aren’t aware that, in BC, the law protects innocent buyers and will transfer ownership to them, even if the transfer was done fraudulently. This can cause major issues for the rightful home owner.
BC relies on a land title system called the “Torrens system.” It prioritizes the protection of innocent home buyers and the transaction itself. It does little to protect innocent home owners who may all of the sudden become dispossessed of their home.
This service does not include legal advice or corrective action. If legal action is required to resolve a title issue, then we will provide an estimate prior to proceeding.
We are passionate about protecting hard work, and this service does just that. Your home is your legacy, your most valuable investment, and a symbol of your continued sacrifices. Protect that and prevent being blindsided by signing up for our title monitoring service.
