How to find out if a property in Toledo, OH has a mortgage
A home loan in Ohio is usually secured by a mortgage, recorded with the Lucas County Recorder; it stays a lien of record until a satisfaction or release is recorded, which Ohio law requires within 90 days after the mortgage is satisfied (Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.36). A HeritageDeed report does this for one address in Toledo: $49, usually within minutes, with the source of every finding.
Step by step in Toledo
- 1
Find each mortgage
Search the Lucas County Recorder index under each owner's name for mortgages recorded since they took title.
- 2
Match the satisfaction or release
For each one, look for a recorded satisfaction or release that refers to it by document number or book and page. Ohio gives the lender 90 days after the mortgage is satisfied (Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.36).
- 3
Treat the unmatched as open
A mortgage with no satisfaction or release of record is still a lien until the lender records one, even when the loan was paid.
- 4
Or order the report
A HeritageDeed report runs these searches for one Toledo address and lists every finding with its source, $49, usually within minutes.
What Toledo records show
A mortgage takes effect when it is delivered to the recorder for record, and the first mortgage recorded has preference (R.C. 5301.23).
Within ninety days after a mortgage is satisfied, the mortgagee must record a release of it with the county recorder (R.C. 5301.36), so a mortgage with no recorded release is still of record.
The Lucas County Recorder's records carry every party to a document, the consideration (the loan amount on a mortgage) and marginal notations that cross-reference a mortgage, its assignments and its release.
A real Toledo report
We ran this search on the Toledo Edison Building (2 Maritime Plz, Toledo, OH 43604): 5 deeds, 2 open mortgages, 0 recorded liens. See the Toledo sample report.
What the report checks in Toledo
- Deeds, mortgages with their recorded amounts, releases, assignments and land contracts recorded with the Lucas County Recorder for this property's subdivision
- Each mortgage's release, matched by the Recorder's cross-reference
Questions
How long does a lender have to record a satisfaction or release in Ohio?
90 days after the mortgage is satisfied (Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.36). After a further 15-day notice, $100 per day in damages plus fees.
What does a HeritageDeed search in Toledo not cover?
The Recorder's electronic records begin in 1985; an owner who bought earlier has no vesting deed in the electronic records, and an older document may need an in-office search.
Is this title insurance?
No. It is a search of the public record for one Toledo property. A lender closing a loan will still require a title insurance commitment from a licensed insurer.
More about Toledo property records
Check the title of a Toledo property
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