Title jumping

What it means

The seller signs the title and leaves the buyer's section blank. The buyer, rather than registering it, sells the vehicle on and hands over the same open title. The record at the titling agency still shows the original owner, and the chain has a hole in it.

Every state prohibits it, and the reason is not bureaucratic. The record is what proves who owned the vehicle when — for a lien, for a citation, for a crash, for tax. An open title breaks that, which is why it is the mechanism behind odometer fraud and the resale of stolen and written-off vehicles.

It matters after a death because the temptation is real and looks harmless. A family finds a title already signed by the person who died, or is told by a buyer to leave the transfer blank because it saves everybody a fee. Signing a dead person's name is forgery, and the transfer that follows is void.

The correct route is the state's own procedure for a deceased owner, which every state has: an affidavit, a small-estate process, or a court appointment, depending on the value and the circumstances.

Why it matters

It voids the transfer, which surfaces when the buyer cannot register the vehicle and comes back to the estate.

It also exposes the person who signed to a criminal offense, in a situation where they were usually trying to be helpful.

When you are likely to meet it

• When a signed title with no buyer named is found among the papers.
• When a dealer or a buyer suggests leaving the transfer section blank.
• When a vehicle was bought from somebody whose name is not on the title.

How this varies by state

The offense and its penalty are state law. The prohibition is universal; what a state does about it is not.

Related terms

• Bill of saleA written record that ownership of something passed from one person to another, with the date, the parties and the price.
• Bona fide purchaserSomebody who buys property for value, in good faith, without notice of anyone else's claim to it. The law usually protects them, even against the rightful owner.
• Certificate of titleThe state-issued document that proves who owns a vehicle — and whose issuing state decides the procedure after a death.
• Odometer disclosureA statement of a vehicle's mileage at the moment of transfer, required by federal law for most transfers.
• RetitlePutting an asset into a new owner's name on the official record.
• Vehicle identification numberThe unique code identifying a specific vehicle. Every title, registration and transfer form is matched against it.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Vehicle title transfer