Forged Deed: noun a document that is written or altered in some way under false pretense, or. An individual doctors or alters these documents with the intention of defrauding others.
Now in a sentence: He used a forged deed to claim ownership of the apartment, and that’s illegal.
Yes, that is illegal, but to understand the full extent you need to understand the basics of what a deed is.
In the United States, in all 50 States, and the District of Columbia, a deed is demanded to transfer ownership of real property. The documentation has very strict guidelines, where the following items must be clearly outlined:
- A title that is descriptive of what sort of document this is.
- Warranty Deed
- A deed that guarantees clear title to the buyer of real property.
- Grant Deed
- A legal document that is used to transfer ownership of real property.
- Quitclaim Deed
- A legal document that releases, or relinquishes, a person’s interest in real property, does not state the nature of the person’s interest or rights.
- Warranty Deed
- The name of the owner of the record.
- Name of the “grantee” or purchaser.
- A clause that outlines the owner of record’s intention to convey the property to the purchaser.
- A formal description of the property, detailing the address and all specificities.
- The deed must document the signature and printed name of the grantor, or their authorized representative.
- And the acknowledgment and signature of a notary.
After all of that validity is finally given to the document when the deed is delivered and accepted by the grantee. Yes, that’s the purchaser. Now, let’s dip back into forgery for a moment. As mentioned above: The deed would need to be doctored or altered with the intention of presenting a property as their own. This is a criminal offense in the United States and is charged as either a felony or a high-degree misdemeanor and the charge is equal. In order to have a “fraudulent” or “forged” deed, only one detail would need to be forged, such as a bad, or illegitimate, a signature for any of the parties signing the deed. Such as a signer posing as the property owner and not being such, or a notary signing, that is not an actual notary. In any case, if you need to schedule your closing our Gables Title Group is happy to help your real estate transaction close.
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