The Expert Podcast

No matter what state you live in, you may be subject to certain natural disasters. This year, we've seen hurricanes in Florida, fires in California and Oregon, and hail storms in Texas. How do these relate to your car title, and what steps should you take for vehicle titles when you're involved with some type of natural disaster? Well, first of all, before the season or before an event happens, make sure that you have physical control of your title certificate. If your vehicle's damaged or lost in a natural disaster, you're going to need your title to file an insurance claim. So you want to make sure you have your hands on it. Put it in a safe place that's impervious to water or fire. You can buy a little fireproof bag from Amazon for $15 or $20. Put that in a Ziploc bag so if it's flooded, it doesn't get damaged.

Because if you have to try to replace your title after a natural disaster, it could be difficult because many government agencies are shut down for a while, and they may not be able to issue the title without proper documentation. So make sure you have it secure. Now, if you have been through a natural disaster, the first thing you want to do is make sure you put hands on that title document and start that insurance claim as soon as you can. Make sure you get a good appraisal and good underwriting for the insurance claims so that if the vehicle's been damaged, all of the damage is properly documented.

Sometimes a body shop will look at a car and do what's called an initial appraisal, but then also put a note that there might be supplemental damage that could put it over the threshold for being totaled. So you want to make sure you have those appraisals done as soon as you can, so that the final appraisal amount is sent to the insurance company as soon as possible.

Now, if the vehicle requires an insurance claim (which it probably will), you want to make sure that it's filed with the insurance company. You need to get them the title properly signed. Have them show you how to sign it because if you sign it incorrectly, the claim may not be able to be processed. If there's a lien holder involved, they probably have to sign off as well.

If you have lost your title in the natural disaster, now is the time to file for that duplicate replacement title as soon as you can. You can get some instructions on how to do that from our website, cartitles.com. It'll show you how to file for a duplicate title that's done through the DMV in your state. You have to fill out a few forms; sometimes it has to be notarized, and sometimes you have to appear in person to show your ID to make sure that the person they're giving the title to is actually the owner. They don't want to be handing out your title to the wrong person, so they may verify that you are really the owner of the vehicle.

But natural disasters are many times a reason why a client needs to get a replacement title because either the car or the title certificate has been damaged. You want to get back whole so that your vehicle belongs to you, is properly documented, and you get your insurance claim as fast as you can. If you have other questions, you can access our website, cartitles.com.

We also have title consulting available if you'd like to speak to a certified title agent. If you like this video, be sure to click on a few others on our channel to see if there's other information that might be helpful to you about this same subject or maybe even other related subjects that could assist you with your resolution of your issue.