What Is Not Covered By Title Insurance?
Title insurance provides valuable protection for property buyers. Like all forms of insurance, however, it does not cover every conceivable problem and it is important to understand its limitations.
Title insurance is based on examination of the county real estate records, and generally will not cover problems arising from facts outside of the recorded chain of title.
One common problem not covered by title insurance is boundary line issues, which would be revealed by a survey of the property (for example, it turns out that your fence is actually two feet onto your neighbor’s property).
Unrecorded mechanics’ liens and unpaid public utility bills are other examples. The title insurance policy will describe many of the situations it does not cover; these same limitations will generally be found in an attorney’s title examination.
A qualified real property attorney can assist in helping a buyer understand the limits of a title policy and can take care of issues not covered by the policy.
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