Your home may likely be the single largest financial investment you will make in your lifetime. With that in mind, you’ll want to protect that investment by insuring its title. A title essentially confirms that you legally own your property. To help protect you and your lender, title insurance is can help cover damages or losses from certain claims if they were ever to be filed against your title.
Title endorsements provide coverage beyond a home buyer’s standard title insurance policy. With nearly 100 title endorsements fit for every home buyer’s nightmare, selecting the right endorsement can prevent costly expenses and even the loss of your home.
At Joanna Title Company, we look to provide you all the information you may need in order to make an informed decision about your policy and your title insurance needs. At times, standard coverage offered by a typical residential home title policy, may not fully protect you and you may want to look into purchasing additional coverage. Please understand that these items, especially since they are not part of a standard offer, may vary, and may not necessarily apply to your specific circumstances. Let’s proceed to review some common title endorsements.
THE AMENDMENT OF EXCEPTION TO AREA & BOUNDARIES
Your standard Residential Owner’s Policy will contain the following exception to coverage:
“Any discrepancies, conflicts, or shortages in area or boundary lines, or any encroachments or protrusions, or any overlapping of improvements.”
If you purchase this enhanced coverage the paragraph above will be amended to read as follows:
“Shortages in area”
Consequently if you purchase the enhanced coverage you will be insured for loss, costs, and attorney’s fees and expenses resulting from discrepancies, conflicts in boundary lines, encroachment, protrusions or overlapping of improvements not shown on your survey and not known at the time of closing.
THE RESTRICTIONS, ENCROACHMENTS, MINERALS ENDORSEMENT (THE T-19.1)
If you purchase this enhanced coverage the endorsement shown in the T-19.1 link provided will be attached to, and become part of your Residential Owner’s Policy. Please read the endorsement for the best understanding of the coverage.
Amongst other covered matters, and unless otherwise deleted, the T-19.1 endorsement provides additional coverage for the following:
Restrictions – unknown violations of enforceable restrictive covenants existing as of the date of your Residential Owner’s Policy.
Encroachments – encroachments of your improvements onto neighboring land or your neighbor’s improvements encroaching onto your land which are not shown on your survey.
Minerals – certain damages to the surface of your land resulting from the extraction or development of minerals.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The Amendment to Area and Boundary Exception is 5% of your basic title insurance premium, but not less than $50.00.
The Restriction, Encroachment and Minerals Endorsement (T-19.1) is 10% of your basic title insurance premium if purchased alone, but not less than $50.00.
If BOTH coverages are purchased then the cost of the Restriction, Encroachment and Mineral Endorsement is reduced to only 5% of your basic title insurance premium. This results in you receiving both coverages for the price of one.
Remember the charges for the additional coverage are one-time-only fees that are collected at closing. If purchased, the additional coverage lasts for as long as you, or your heirs, own your home – whether that is 5 years or 105 years!
DON’T FORGET
A satisfactory survey of the property is necessary to obtain the enhanced coverages discussed above. After receipt of the survey, the Underwriter may make specific exceptions in your Residential Owner’s Policy to matters shown on the survey or delete certain provisions of the T-19.1. Consequently it is important to understand that you will not have additional coverages for matters reflected on your current survey or matters known at the time of closing.
Let us take care of these possible issues. Choose Smart, we truly care about you.