Title fraud made its way into the media headlines earlier this summer, creating an unhealthy climate of fear that unnecessarily worried land owners. REALTORS® felt the heat too, as their buyers and sellers asked whether they and their properties were safe from fraud.

The facts are that BC’s land title system is one of the safest in the world, there is no pattern of increased title fraud and the Assurance Fund is available to compensate owners in the very unlikely case that they are financially affected by a title registration error.

There are more than 1.9 million active titles in BC. In the past 18 years, the land title system processed 15 million transactions—yet only two claims related to land ownership fraud and only 14 fraud claims related to lesser interests in land, such as discharges of mortgage, were paid out from the Assurance Fund.

The Land Title and Survey Authority is continually looking for ways to enhance the security of the system. If your client wants added protection, you can suggest these simple steps:

* Owners, via a lawyer or notary, may use the Activity Advisory Service provided by BC OnLine. It notifies the legal professional when an application affecting the owner’s title is made to the Land Title Office (LTO).

* Registry Agents can conduct title searches for homeowners wishing to check the status of their titles, and some agents may provide access to the Activity Advisory Service.

* An owner who doesn’t have a mortgage or agreement for sale registered on their title can apply for a Duplicate Certificate of Title through their lawyer or notary, or at an LTO. No sale, transfer, mortgage or agreement for sale may be registered while the owner holds that Duplicate Certificate (the Duplicate must be stored in a secure location, such as a safety deposit box, to avoid the considerable time and cost associated with replacing it).

For more information, visit www.ltsa.ca.

1. About 8,000 homes are burglarized in Vancouver annually.
2. Burglaries typically occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
3. Burglars spend just 8 to 12 minutes in your home.
4. The burglar is typically a male teenager living within a few miles of your home, not a professional thief.
5. Homes without security systems are 2 to 3 times more likely to be broken into than homes with security systems.
6. Thieves spend about 60 seconds to get into your home.
7. Once inside, thieves head for the master bedroom where home owners typically keep valuables
8. More than 16,000 cars are burglarized each year.

Secure your home

1. Get an alarm system and place alarm signs around your property;
2. Get motion sensitive lights; and
3. Install deadbolts and bars on windows.

Sources from Vancouver Police Department; Washington Post