New Texas laws take effect to fight title theft

HOUSTON - Three new state laws take effect September 1 to help protect property owners from the growing crime of title theft.

What is title theft?

Big picture view:

Title theft, also known as deed or property theft, is when fraudsters file forged documents to transfer homes and property into someone else’s name.

The property is then often sold, fraudulently listed for rent, or used to take out loans.

Investigators say it happens most often to the elderly or the owners of vacant homes.

But it can and does happen to anyone, anywhere.

New Texas laws

The Texas legislature passed some new bills to crack down on this crime.

The laws are intended to make it easier for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute, and for some victims to get restitution.

Texas Senate Bill 1734 makes it easier for a property owner to challenge fraudulent documents, by allowing them to file a petition for judicial review, or an affidavit contesting the documents’ legitimacy.

Senate Bill 693 adds penalties for notaries who prepare fraudulent documents.

And Senate Bill 647 lets county clerks investigate and reject suspicious filings.

This comes after a law passed in the previous session that enables all county clerks to require a photo ID when property documents are filed.

What you can do:

Some counties let property owners sign up for alerts when new paperwork is filed on their property.

Harris County does not offer these alerts, but owners can monitor your property online to see if any documents have been filed on it.