Understanding Property Trust Transfers and Chain of Title Research

Subject: Property Trust Transfer | Trust Amendments

Understanding Trust Ownership Documentation

Generally, whether or not any report is accurate depends on whether the appropriate documents were properly recorded. If the property is owned by a trust, certain types of ownership changes may only be reflected in the form of a trust amendment, which is not typically recorded with the county recorder’s office.

However, depending on the state, notice to the Assessor’s office of ownership percentage changes must be provided within a certain period of time, unless those changes are subject to applicable property tax exclusions.

Recommended Research Steps

You may want to consider reviewing all documents relevant to the subject property, including:

1. The Chain of Title Report – This document traces the historical sequence of ownership transfers and encumbrances
2. The original trust documents together with all amendments
3. County Assessor records – These may contain change of ownership statements not reflected in the chain of title

How to Obtain Trust Documents

If you do not have copies of the trust documents, we recommend contacting the trustee directly. If that is not an option, you may want to check with the Assessor’s office in the county where the property is located to research whether notice of ownership changes was provided.

If you cannot or do not want to make that trip, you may use our Abstract Service to request a quote for one of our local abstractors to conduct this research for you.

Additional Resources

For more information about trust property ownership and transfers, you may find these resources helpful:

• California State Board of Equalization Property Tax Rules
• Understanding Trust Administration in California
• Learn more about title insurance and property records

Please let us know if you have questions or need more information.

Thank you,
Customer Support Team

For related information, see our articles on trust administration, property ownership transfers, and chain of title research.