What happens if a title problem comes up after closing?

Bring it to your title company. On a covered claim, your owner's policy defends your title and covers covered losses, so you're not paying the legal bill alone.

What does an owner's title policy not cover?

It covers the property's past, not claims that arise after you own the home. It generally excludes boundary and survey matters (unless you add a survey endorsement), defects you already knew about, and standard exceptions such as recorded easements, CC&Rs, taxes not yet due, and reserved mineral or water rights.

Do You Need an Owner's Title Policy? What It Protects

Q: Isn't the title search enough?

A title search catches what's on record. It can't catch forgery, unknown heirs, or errors that surface later — an owner's policy can, and it defends those claims for you.

Your lender will make you buy a loan policy — smart, but it only covers the bank. An owner’s policy is your shield: one premium at closing that protects your ownership for as long as you or your heirs own the home, against problems from the property’s past that no search can catch.

The one policy that looks backward

Your owner’s policy covers what already happened — a hidden lien, a forged deed, an unknown heir. Problems that exist the day you buy, even if no one has found them yet. Homeowner’s insurance covers what hasn’t happened yet — fire, storms, theft. Every other policy looks forward; this is the only one that looks back.

What an owner’s policy protects against

Forgery & fraudA forged signature or fraudulent deed in the chain of title — even someone who sold the home posing as the real owner.
Undisclosed heirs & old claimsA prior owner died without a clear will, or a long-lost heir or ex-spouse surfaces with a claim to your property.
Liens you didn’t know aboutUnpaid property taxes, a contractor’s mechanic’s lien, or other debts attached to the property before you bought it.
Easements & boundary surprisesAn undisclosed right-of-way or boundary problem that limits how you use — or what you actually own of — your land.
Recording & clerical errorsA mis-indexed document or paperwork mistake in the public record that clouds your title years later.
The cost to defend itOn a covered claim your policy steps in — it defends your title and covers covered losses, so you’re not paying the legal bill alone.

True to life. A contractor who reroofed the house in 2019 was never paid. Two years after you close, he files a lien — against your home, for someone else’s debt. With an owner’s policy, we defend the claim and cover the loss. Without one, the bill and the headache are yours.

Know the limits — what it doesn’t cover

Anything after closing. It covers the property’s past — not liens or claims that arise once you own the home.
Boundary & survey matters. Encroachments or boundary lines a current survey would show — often excluded unless you add a survey endorsement.
What you already knew. Title defects you were aware of and didn’t disclose at closing.
Standard exceptions. Recorded easements, CC&Rs, taxes not yet due, and reserved mineral or water rights stay with the land.

Common questions

Is it required?

Your lender requires the loan policy; an owner’s policy is optional — but strongly recommended, and most buyers choose it.

Isn’t the title search enough?

A search catches what’s on record. It can’t catch forgery, unknown heirs, or errors that surface later — the policy can.

How long does it last?

One premium at closing, no renewals — coverage lasts as long as you or your heirs own the home.

What if a problem comes up?

Bring it to us. On a covered claim, your policy defends your title and covers covered losses.

Educational only — not legal or tax advice. Coverage, exclusions, and premiums are set by the policy and Colorado’s filed rates, and vary by transaction. Policies underwritten through First American and Westcor (WLTIC). As of June 2026.