Title jumping is the act of buying and selling a vehicle without registering the vehicle in your name. A jumped title passes the ownership of a vehicle from one individual to another without having a proper record of ownership.
The Auto Title Service in Houston provided by the team of experts at Swift Auto Title is designed to help you with all your auto title needs.
Why Do People Title Jump?
There are numerous reasons why people title jump, such as:
• Some individuals do not wish to pay taxes and fees before reselling the vehicle. If a person is looking to quickly sell a car for profit, all the sales tax, registration fee, titling fee, and other costs can add up.
• Some people title jump to avoid registering as a licensed dealer.
• Others do not want to disclose negative vehicle history to the buyers.
If you have any concerns related to auto title in Houston, you can always contact Swift Auto Title. Our auto titling experts will be more than happy to help you.
What Happens if You Buy a Title Jumped Vehicle?
If you end up buying a vehicle with a jumped title, you will face difficulties registering it in your name. Also, you won’t easily be able to locate the last person whose name is on the title. As a rule of thumb, before paying for a vehicle, ensure the name of the seller is present on the title certificate of the vehicle.
However, if the person signing over the title has a power of attorney over the person on the car title, you can proceed with the transaction. But don’t forget to obtain proof of the power of attorney. When transferring the ownership of the car, the power of attorney would be needed to register and put your name on the title.
In case the seller tells you they lost the auto title, it could be a trick to sell a title-jumped car. Make sure you tell the seller to request a duplicate title. If the seller cannot provide you with the title of the car, do not purchase the car. You can always contact us for Lost Title Services Houston or any other Auto Title Service in Houston, Texas.
What If You Are the Victim of Title Jumping?
If you have purchased a vehicle and the name of the seller is not mentioned on the auto title, you can do a couple of things to fix the situation. First, if you bought the car from a private seller, ask them to transfer the title of the car into their name and sign over the new title to you. Secondly, if a dealership sold you a jumped title car, you can request a refund or file a claim for fraud against them. Alternatively, you can process the title as a bonded title.
