Find Out Who Owns a Property

Category : Property

Call the town hall in the city where the property is located. Ask for the assessor's or city clerk's office and simply ask where the list of the town's property rolls is located. Often, this list is right there, at the town hall.

You could also tell them you would like to research the deed to a property. The deed, which must be recorded after the sale and transfer of real estate, will have the names of both the seller and the buyer of the property. Deeds are often located at a county facility, such as the registry of deeds, rather than in the specific town. Most town officials are helpful, so just ask questions. After all, you're only looking for documents of public record.

Do an online search. Many cities and towns today have their public records online, available to anyone. The list of assessed properties is often included on the city or town's website. You will have to do a little digging here because each town or city's website will be set up differently.

Start by typing the name of your city with the . gov suffix into Google's search bar. You should be brought to the city or town's home page. Now use the town site's own search bar. Type phrases such as "recorded documents, " "assessor's department, " or "finance" into the search bar. If the information you want is online, you should be able to find it. See the resource box below for an example of a search in New York City. Entering the address and submitting the form will give you the owner's name and assessment information.

Another way to find the name of a property owner is to look through the city or town's voter list. You can find voter lists at your local town hall. But keep in mind, not everyone registers to vote, and sometimes a property is rented, so the list will be limited.

Enlist the services of a commercial search company if you would rather not spend the time looking for the information yourself. Just do a Google search using a phrase such as "search property records. " You'll bring up more companies to choose from than you'll ever need. Prices vary, but most of these companies offer pretty much the same services.