Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond - Statewide in California

Brief Summary

When you own a manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial modular, truck camper or floating home but cannot produce the usual ownership documents, this bond is how HCD can still issue a California Certificate of Title. It protects the Department and any future owner for three years, so you can title the unit now instead of chasing a prior owner who cannot be found.

California's Department of Housing and Community Development may accept a bond to support issuing a Certificate of Title when regular evidence of ownership is not obtainable. The bond is written on HCD form RT 480.0, must stay valid for three years, and its amount is the greatest of the sale price, the current market value, or the average of the NADA Mobile/Manufactured Housing Appraisal Guide and Kelley Blue Book values.

We can help with all California bonds!

How to Apply for a Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond:

• Work out the bond amount as the greatest of the sale price, the current market value, or the NADA and Kelley Blue Book average.
• Prepare a sworn statement on how, when and from whom the unit was acquired.
• Document your efforts to contact prior owners or obtain missing documents and signatures.
• Have the surety issue the bond on HCD RT 480.0 for the calculated amount.
• Attach notary acknowledgments for both the principal and the surety.
• Submit the bond to HCD with the title application.

Detailed Information About the California Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond:

The amount is not just what you paid

The most common error is bonding for the purchase price. Under Title 25, California Code of Regulations section 5547, the bond must equal the greatest of three figures: the total contract or sale price of the unit, its current market value based on year of manufacture, makeup, condition and location, or the average of the values in the current NADA Mobile/Manufactured Housing Appraisal Guide and the Kelley Blue Book. A home bought cheaply from a relative can still need a bond sized to its market value.

When HCD uses a bond

HCD may accept a bond or undertaking to support a California Certificate of Title when regular evidence of ownership is not obtainable. With the bond, the applicant gives a sworn statement explaining how, when and from whom the unit was acquired, the efforts made to contact prior owners or obtain missing documents and signatures, and the unit's current market value.

Who the bond protects

The obligee is the State of California, Department of Housing and Community Development, its officers and employees, for its use and benefit and that of any interested person. The bond protects the Department and any future owner against loss from a defect in, or an undisclosed claim, lien or encumbrance on, ownership of the unit. An injured party can bring an action on the bond in its own name.

Principal, term and form

The principal is the person buying the bond, which can be the owner of the unit or someone else. Section 5547 requires the bond to be valid for three years from the date HCD receives the completed application. It is written on HCD RT 480.0 by a surety authorized to do business in California, with notary acknowledgments for both the principal and the surety attached.

Other forms of security

Section 5547 also allows a certificate of deposit or investment certificate, an assigned savings account passbook, or a cashier's check payable to the Department, each held for three years. A government agency may submit a letter of indemnification instead.

Eligibility and Requirements for a California Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond:

• Obligee: State of California, Department of Housing and Community Development.
• A surety authorized to transact surety business in California.
• Bond valid for three years from the date HCD receives the completed application.
• Principal may be the unit owner or another person.
• Coverage for any defect in title and any undisclosed claim, lien or encumbrance on the unit.

California Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the California Mobile Home, Comm. Coach, Truck Camper or Floating Home - Certificate of Title Bond: