What is Chain of Title?
Chain of title is the complete history of ownership of a property, showing each transfer from one owner to the next over time. Title professionals trace it through recorded documents to confirm the current seller truly has the right to sell. Gaps or errors in the chain can create disputes that must be cleared before a sale closes.
Example: During escrow, the title company reviews the chain of title and finds an old deed was never recorded, so that gap is resolved before the buyer's policy is issued.