How to Find Owners of Properties
in Florida

According to Florida's public records law, anyone interested in learning about a property's ownership can access these records. Ownership details and information about boundary lines and tax assessments are readily available.

However, you may still face some challenges in a Florida house owner lookup, especially if the records are outdated or inaccurate or owners have used trusts or LLCs to conceal their identities. In such cases, you may need to enlist the help of title companies or commercial service providers with up-to-date sources.

You can find the owner of a property for free or with paid options in Florida. Here's where you can start:

Check Your County Property Appraiser's Website

You can begin your property owner search in Florida by browsing the online database of the county property appraiser's office. Each county in the state maintains a website with property ownership records, which you can search using one of these details:

• Address
• Parcel ID, aka Property Identification Number (PIN)

Since records are county-specific, you'll first need to find out which county the property is in using an online map service. Next, you can access the county appraiser website for the specific county and enter one of the above details into the search tools.

Each county website differs in terms of interface and depth of information. If you can't locate what you're looking for online, contact the county's property appraiser's helpline or visit their office for assistance.

The following are the county property appraiser websites for major counties in Florida:

• Miami-Dade County
• Broward County
• Hillsborough County
• Palm Beach County
• Orange County
• Duval County
• Pinellas County
• Polk County
• Lee County
• Brevard County

Visit the Office of the County Clerk of Courts

The County Clerk of Courts, also known as the recorder's office, maintains property ownership records for all of Florida's counties. You can access these records through their website or public access terminals for a nominal fee using information such as the property's address or parcel number.

If you live nearby, consider visiting the county clerk's office for more detailed information, such as mortgages, deeds, and liens linked to the property. If you're researching a property with a complicated history, a personal visit can help you access legal documents, such as probate records or court judgments.

Here are some of Florida's county clerk office websites:

• Miami-Dade County
• Broward County
• Hillsborough County
• Palm Beach County
• Orange County
• Duval County
• Pinellas County
• Polk County
• Lee County
• Brevard County

Check Public Record Portals

Public record portals like the Florida Department of Revenue provide statewide property information sourced from various counties. This comprehensive database is ideal for your searches if you are looking into multiple properties or are unsure which county the property is in.

The Florida Department of Revenue website also provides access to property tax records, allowing you to determine the property owner's name and other ownership information. Alternatively, you can narrow your search using the State Library and Archives of Florida, which also maintains public records.

Enlist Help From a Title Company

For a fee, a title company can help you obtain a title report that verifies ownership details. A title search may take three to five business days, depending on the required documents. It can cost you anywhere between $150 and $500 in Florida.

A title company can also help you obtain information about any mortgages, liens, or encumbrances associated with the property. It can help you secure clear ownership rights during the purchase.

Tap Other Sources of Property Information

You can try more traditional methods of acquiring property ownership information, such as inquiring with a property's neighbors. You can also contact a local real estate agent or check third-party real estate websites.

Property ownership identifies the entities or individuals with legal rights to a property. In Florida, these rights could rest with the individual, their spouse, or among a group of unrelated parties.

You'll find that state statutes and local regulations govern property ownership laws in Florida. These laws inform how property can be owned, transferred, or protected. Understanding property ownership structure also makes you aware of the legal and financial aspects of holding a title.

Florida laws commonly recognize the following types of property ownership:

Comprehensive Overview of Property Ownership Structures

The table below presents the different types of property ownership in Florida, with their main features, benefits, and implications:

In Florida, owning a property is not restricted to individuals. A property can also be owned by a trust, a partnership, limited liability companies (LLCs), or C or S companies. The approach to determining the owner of such properties may vary per each entity's legal structure, making the process quite complex. It involves steps such as cross-referencing public records and searching corporate databases.

As such, you may need to hire a real estate attorney or title company to determine the ownership details of trust-owned properties.

Here's a detailed guide to uncovering trust or corporation property ownership in Florida:

Finding the Owner of a Trust in Florida

To find the owner of a trust that holds a property, you can start your search at the county recorder's office, which likely has the deeds and mortgages linked to the property. Some deeds may list the trustee's name as the property holder, but the beneficiary's identity remains undisclosed in most cases.

Alternatively, you may look for court records, such as probate filings, if any, which may include the trustee's details. Your last resort is to consult a title company, a third-party site, or a real estate attorney to help you with the process.

Finding the Owner of an LLC in Florida

A property's deed and tax records might offer information on the name of the LLC that owns it. For further details on LLC members or managers, you may need to browse online databases such as LexisNexis or Westlaw. You can also scan Sunbiz, the Florida Division of Corporations' database that lists registered LLCs in the state. Along with the LLC's registered agent, you can also access the names of key members through this database.

Finding the Owner of a Corporation in Florida

You can find the name of the corporation that owns the property by cross-referencing public and tax records in the county where it is located. However, to access individual shareholders' names, you'll need to dig deeper through business research portals that provide detailed corporate filings. These include LexisNexis, Westlaw, and SEC's EDGAR if it's a publicly traded company.

In Florida, you need a deed to transfer property ownership, whether a building or vacant land. A deed is a legal document that legally conveys the transfer of ownership. The document outlines details such as:

• The property's legal description
• Name of the parties involved in the transaction
• Seller's guarantees about the property's ownership status

Florida's property ownership laws recognize many types of deeds, each with its own set of guarantees and conveyances. The most common ones are:

Some other property deeds in Florida include the life estate deed and the enhanced life estate deed, also known as the ladybird deed.

You must take several legal and administrative steps to ensure that the transfer of property ownership is legally binding and dispute-free. Here's a detailed guide:

• Determine the Type of Property Transfer: The first step is to identify what type of property transfer is taking place. Is it a simple sale of property where one party sells to another? Or is it a gift deed without financial exchange? Doing this will dictate the paperwork and other legal requirements you need to prepare for this process.
• Title Search: A title search helps you verify that the property's title is free of claims, liens, or encumbrances, allowing the owner to legally transfer the property to another individual. You can hire title search companies that specialize in this process. It may cost you up to $300 in Florida, depending on the property's location and case complexity.
• Prepare the Deed: The next step is to prepare the deed, a legal document that transfers the property ownership from one party to another. The type of deed may vary depending on the type of property transfer, such as a warranty deed or quitclaim deed. A real estate attorney typically helps prepare the deed and may charge between $150 to $500.
• Pay Transfer Taxes: Florida mandates the payment of a documentary stamp tax for property transfers based on the property's sale price. For example, all counties in Florida have a tax rate of $0.70 per $100 of the sale price, except Miami-Dade, which charges $0.60 per $100.
• Record the Deed: As the final step in property transfer, you must record the deed with the county clerk's office where the property is located. This ensures that the county has listed the new owner's name in public records. The process of recording the deed varies by county.