Surety Bond Professionals is a family-owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your California title bond needs.
What Are They?
A title bond is a prerequisite for getting a bonded title for a vehicle you own, but don’t have a title for. A bonded title will allow you to do everything that a title is needed for—register the vehicle in your name, sell it, give it to someone, and so on. The bond is your guarantee to compensate anyone who comes forward and can prove an ownership interest in the vehicle within the three-year period that the bond is in force.
Who Needs Them?
If you do not have a valid title for a vehicle in your possession, you’ll need to obtain a bonded title. The most common reasons for needing a bonded title include the following:
- You purchased a vehicle but did not receive a title. A receipt or bill of sales is not deemed sufficient proof of ownership to issue a standard title.
- You received a title but it was lost or stolen before you could register the vehicle in your name.
- The title you received for the vehicle is flawed, damaged, or altered in some way.
Before you can get a bonded title, you’ll need to purchase a California Certificate of Title surety bond, also known as a Motor Vehicle Ownership surety bond.
Speak with a Surety Bond Professionals agent today to discuss your bonding needs.
How Do They Work?
When applying for a California title bond, the burden is on you to find out from the DMV what the required bond amount for your vehicle will be based on their valuation of the vehicle. The bond amount must be equal to the vehicle’s value.
For a vehicle valued at less than $5,000, you’ll need to complete a Statement of Facts form, which documents the details of your purchase of the vehicle. For a vehicle valued at $5,000 or more, the surety bond company issuing your bond must submit a signed application to the DMV.
Once you have purchased the bond, it will remain in force for three years. During that time, you are legally obligated to compensate anyone with a proven ownership interest for a financial loss suffered as a result of the vehicle being improperly titled in your name. For example, you may have sold the vehicle to someone else and are unable to return it to the rightful owner.
The surety company that issued the bond will likely pay a claim on your behalf, as that is common practice. However, that advance payment is merely a short-term extension of credit to you, and you are legally obligated to reimburse the surety company in full.
At the end of the three-year bond duration, a standard title will be issued if no claims have been filed against your California lost title bond.
What Do They Cost?
Although surety bonds for low-value vehicles are sold by many surety bond companies for a small flat amount, title bonds for higher-value vehicles are sold for a premium that is a small percentage of the required bond amount. The surety company determines what that percentage will be based primarily on the individual’s personal credit score.
With good credit, you’ll pay a premium rate in the range of 1% to 3%. With poor credit, you’ll pay a significantly higher premium rate.
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Our surety bond professionals will get you the California title bond you need at a competitive rate.