Deed fraud bills in Lansing would give Michigan homeowners a no-fee way to win back stolen titles and three years to sue

DETROIT — A homeowner can be the victim of a crime, see the thief charged, and still have to pay a lawyer and go to court to prove the house is theirs. A package of bills in the Michigan Legislature aims to change that for victims of deed fraud.

State Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, and state Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, introduced the eight bills, Senate Bills 1215-1218 and House Bills 6433-6436, on Oct. 15, according to Santana’s office.

Deed fraud happens when someone forges documents to transfer ownership of another person’s property, then tries to sell it, borrow against it or evict the real owner. Victims may not learn about it until someone else claims their home. The Wayne County Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit has received more than 15,889 inquiries and opened more than 2,913 cases since 2005, Santana’s office said.

What the bills would do. Each change comes as a matching Senate and House bill:

A faster, cheaper court case (SB 1215/HB 6433). If no one disputes a homeowner’s claim within 21 days, or there is a related criminal conviction, the owner could ask a court to confirm ownership without paying a filing fee.

More time to sue (SB 1216/HB 6434). The deadline for victims to file a lawsuit would grow from one year to three years after they discover the fraud or after a related investigation or criminal case ends, whichever is later.

Real damages (SB 1217/HB 6435). Victims could sue the people behind the fraud for $5,000, three times their actual losses, and attorney fees.

No tax penalty (SB 1218/HB 6436). Homeowners would be protected from property tax increases caused by a fraudulent deed while ownership is being sorted out.

“Our homes represent stability, security, and generational wealth,” Santana said. Hope said Michigan law already punishes the crime, “but victims still face costly legal battles to restore ownership.”

Donovan McCarthy, who directs the Housing Justice Clinic at Michigan State University College of Law, said he has represented dozens of victims “who were forced to prove that they still owned homes they never sold.”

The property-rights case. As its sponsors describe it, the package is narrow: it creates no new agency and no new tax, and it shifts the cost of fraud from victims to the people who commit it. The bills have only been introduced. Lawmakers have about 10 weeks left in the two-year session, and bills that do not pass by the end of the year must be reintroduced in 2027.

What you can do now. Look up the recorded deed for your home through your county register of deeds and check that the owner listed is you. Watch for warning signs such as mail about a loan or sale you did not make, a missing property tax bill, or a stranger at the house claiming ownership. If you suspect fraud, call your local police and, in Wayne County, the county’s Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit, and talk to a real estate attorney or a legal aid clinic before the deadlines run out.

Sources:
Office of state Sen. Sylvia Santana, “As Deed Fraud Threatens Michigan Homeowners, Sen. Santana, Rep. Hope Introduce Bills to Protect Victims,” Oct. 16, 2026 (bill numbers, what each does, Wayne County figures, quotes), https://senatedems.com/santana/2026/10/16/protect-victims/
Photo: Andrew Jameson, “Street scape in Boston-Edison.jpg,” Jan. 13, 2008, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Street_scape_in_Boston-Edison.jpg

Detroit

Tags: Detroit · Deed Fraud · Property Rights · Michigan Legislature · Housing · Property Taxes