How do I go about obtaining a home that was illegally purchased in my name?
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How do I go about obtaining a home that was illegally purchased in my name?
As of 11 years ago, I received my very first copy of my credit report and it revealed a home that was purchased but I have never been to the city it is in or even purchased a home in my life. This home is attached to my credit report and my SSN. How do I go about obtaining that home or getting a form of justice for the illegal purchase of the home.
Asked on June 19, 2017 under Real Estate Law, Missouri
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
You can't get the home: the fact that someone either deliberately purchased it in your name or that there was some mix-up somehow and it was accidently attached to you does NOT give you the right to property you never paid for. (If this was a mistake, the home belongs to the true owner; if a criminal act, it will likely go back to the seller, if he/she was never paid or not paid in full, or possibly to a bank if there is loan being defaulted on or which should never have been granted in the first place.) What you can and should do is get this cleared up: contact the county clerk's office in the county where the home is located, explain the situation to them, and find out what you need to do, and what documentation, forms, evidence, etc. you need, to this removed from your name. Once you do that, contact the credit reporting agencies with evidence that you are no longer associated with the home and have them correct their entries. If you find out who did this and caused you to have to take action to clear this up, you may be able to sue him/her for any costs you incurred.
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