Frequently asked questions

An owner's policy protects against loss from defects in the property's past — a forged or improperly delivered deed, an undisclosed lien or judgment, an error in the public record, a missing heir, a lack of legal access. It also covers the cost of defending your title if someone brings a claim, which is often the most valuable part of the policy.

Matters you knew about and accepted at closing, zoning and most governmental police power, anything arising after the policy date, survey matters where no survey was made, and physical or environmental conditions. A title policy is not a home inspection.

A loan policy protects the lender for the loan amount and its coverage declines as you pay down the loan. An owner's policy protects you for the full purchase price and lasts as long as you or your heirs hold an interest. They are separate policies. Your attorney can advise on whether owner's coverage makes sense for your transaction.

As long as you or your heirs retain an interest in the property. There is no renewal and no ongoing premium — it is paid once at closing.

It depends on the county and on what the search turns up. A clean file in a fast-moving county completes quickly. An estate that was never fully administered, an open permit or a surviving lien adds time — sometimes weeks. We give you a realistic date at order rather than an optimistic one, and we tell you as soon as something slips.

The underwriter's written undertaking to issue a policy once the listed requirements are met and the exceptions resolved. It is the working document of the clearance phase — read it, and ask which exceptions will survive into the policy.

Most problems are clearable. A lien gets paid at closing, an open permit gets closed out, an estate exception gets cleared with the right letters. We analyze what we find and give you a path, then start chasing documents. The problems that kill deals are the ones found too late, not the ones found at all.

In New York this is customarily the buyer's decision, often made on their attorney's recommendation. A lender may have requirements, but the choice generally rests with the party paying for the policy.

Title insurance premiums in New York are filed with the Department of Financial Services and are based on the policy amount. The calculators on this site estimate transfer taxes and recording fees — the government charges — but the premium is quoted per transaction. Call us for a figure on a specific file.

New York State charges a transfer tax on the seller. New York City adds its own RPTT, also customarily on the seller. The mansion tax on residential sales of $1,000,000 or more is customarily paid by the buyer. In the East End of Suffolk the buyer also pays the Peconic Bay CPF tax. Allocation can be shifted by contract. Use the transfer tax estimator to see how it breaks down.

A New York tax on new indebtedness secured by a mortgage, charged at recording. The rate varies by county and, in New York City, by loan size and dwelling type. On a refinance, a CEMA can limit it to the new money only — the CEMA calculator shows whether the savings justify the assignment costs.

No. They are planning estimates built on a governed fee configuration with a stated effective date. The binding figures come from the underwriter's filed rate schedule and the county fee schedule in effect on the day your documents record.

Do not send the money. Viking Abstract does not email new or changed wire instructions. Call our office on a number you already have — not any number in the email — and verify with a person you have spoken with before. This is the single most common fraud in a real estate closing and one phone call defeats it.

Through the secure upload page, which encrypts the transfer and attaches files directly to your transaction record with an audit trail. Ordinary email attachments are neither encrypted at every hop nor access-controlled once they land.

Send what the title work needs. Do not include Social Security numbers, full bank or card account numbers, medical records or tax returns unless we have specifically asked for them. If we need something sensitive we will tell you and give you a secure route for it.

Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Richmond (Staten Island) and Westchester. Each has its own page with the local recording system and the searches that matter there.

Yes. A named contact is assigned at order and you get direct access to the senior examiner. That is the point of the relationship.

Both. Most New York residential transactions run through attorneys, and that is who we work with most. Buyers and sellers are welcome to contact us directly with questions about the process — though we do not practice law and cannot advise you on your transaction.

In most cases yes. Orders can be delivered as a structured payload into a title production platform or CRM rather than as an email. Tell us what you run and we will scope it.