How to Detect Fake Condominium Certificate of Title (CCT) in the Philippines

Like global investment, it is a great deal to invest in a property or real estate, particularly in the Philippines. There are some essential items in Philippine real estate transactions that legal regulations ensure, but scam offering’s primary perpetrator is misinformed clients.

To stay out of further problems, checking a property’s legal title should be your first step in securing the property. You must conduct a simple title verification on the property. Whenever either one of those terms is not present from the offered title, you may have reason to suspect that the offer is a scam.

If you are cautious that the transaction you are in is a scam, your fear is fair. If you transact with any business, you have to have all of your records and huge amount of cash.  You must be patient enough and expect that the seller will not deceive you. Trust your seller, but remain vigilant when settlement occurs concerning papers and documents.

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It is imperative and vital to evaluate and certify all of the papers that have been completed for the sale of the property to ensure the authenticity of the seller and legitimate endorsement of the unit.

Below are helpful tips for you to detect the if the title is fake or not concerning the transactions.

Be sure to review the copies.

If you see the same three different elements in the front and back of the copy, such as signature, the title, and abbreviation, those are original and sure to be legit. It follows that they are meant to be carbon copies. If you see something different, you must suspect that the title might be fake.

Examine the title and its seal.

To better identify the duplicate papers, the words “OWNER’S DUPLICATE CERTIFICATE” should be printed on the left side of the judicial form’s margins. Also, there has to be a red rubber stamp on the form which does not get smeared or damaged when wet.  These two features are absent from the original printing of the resource.

Look for the Title Number

There should be a page number in the upper right corner of the title in the registration book. If the last two digits of the book number on the registration stamp do not match with the page number of the title on the book, then the title is suspicious. 

Double-check the serial number.

Note that the original copy has a red serial number to trace where it was published, while the duplicate printed is color black. 

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Consult and check the historical record

Record the title to see if the source is legitimate. You will have to trace to test the legitimacy of the title, such as the mother’s lineage, back to the derivate’s lineage, and to their other relevant documents.

It would help if you kept in mind that your contractual commitments are met first, before putting your signature and sending the money to the seller.

The above tips can be useful if the property title is already in front of you as part of the negotiation. But, always do due diligence.  Get an authorization letter from the property owner to get a certified true copy of CCT and TCT form the Registry of Deeds and the document you will receive will confirm if the property you are going to buy has a clean title or not. 

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Original article written by Diego Sarcaoga, REBPH Intern.

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