In this article:
Identity theft and fraud protection for your finances, personal info, and devices.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Home Title Theft?
Home title theft has been a serious problem for years. If scammers use your personal information to steal your home title, they can siphon off your equity, remortgage your property, or even illegally sell your home out from under you.
According to the FBI [*]:
Americans lost almost $400 million to cases of real estate-related fraud last year alone.
Home title protection services monitor your home title (and sometimes other sensitive information) to alert you of changes or potential signs of fraud. But with so many different home title protection services available, how do you know which one is right for you?
In this guide, we’ll explain why you need home title protection and then review six of the best options available in 2024.
Is Home Title Protection Even Necessary?
The truth is that, when compared to other forms of crime, home title theft is rare.
The FBI received less than 12,000 reports of real estate fraud last year, with only a small percentage of these related to home title theft or deed fraud. In most instances, it suffices to regularly check your home title with your county recorder, or review credit reports for free by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.
However, for victims of home title fraud, the consequences can be devastating.
Scammers target vulnerable people — often senior or low-income victims — who have built up equity in their homes, may be willing to sign over deeds to “evade foreclosure,” or are less likely to monitor their titles.
Here’s what can happen if fraudsters steal your home title:
- You could lose your home. In the worst-case scenario, scammers can use your home title to “sell” your home to someone else. Without the proper documentation, you could potentially lose your house.
- Fraudsters could steal your equity. Most home title scams are used to secure home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs), mortgages, or to take out loans against your home title — leaving you to pick up the tab.
- You could be implicated in a rental scam. Fraudsters may pose as homeowners to illegally rent out your house, stealing deposit checks from multiple applicants before disappearing.
- Your identity will continue to be stolen. To succeed, home title theft requires multiple pieces of your personally identifiable information (PII) or IDs. If someone can steal your property title or create a forged deed, they can almost certainly target you with other types of identity theft and fraud.
While you’re more likely to be targeted by a phishing attack or phone scammer than by a home title thief, the consequences of home title theft are much more severe.
What about home title insurance? You most likely bought title insurance from an insurance company during the home buying process. However, this won’t help — as a title insurance policy only protects against issues from the past, such as undiscovered liens or lawsuits. For any future fraud, you need home title protection.
Is Home Title Lock Worth It?
In most cases, no.
While Home Title Lock is one of the most well-recognized names in home title protection, it can leave you vulnerable to numerous other tactics that fraudsters use to scam you.
Home title theft is often a symptom of identity theft. Yet, Home Title Lock only monitors your home title — not the sensitive information or online accounts that scammers compromised in the first place, such as your bank details or Social Security number (SSN).
All-in-one digital security providers with home title monitoring included — such as Identity Guard — are better (and cheaper) options for just about everyone.
Here are a few ways that Identity Guard outperforms services like Home Title Lock in scope, support, and cost (as of February 2024):
The bottom line: Identity Guard’s all-in-one solution gives you more protection, better support, and a generous insurance policy at a fraction of the cost of a service like Home Title Lock. Try Identity Guard today and see if it’s right for you.
The 6 Best Home Title Protection Services in 2024
There’s no shortage of home title monitoring services on the market — but not all are created equal. Here’s our reviews of the top home title protection services — including key features, ideal users, pros and cons, and pricing:
1. Identity Guard: Award-winning security
Over the past 20 years, Identity Guard has provided all-in-one identity theft, title theft, and fraud protection solutions to over 38 million Americans.
Identity Guard’s Ultra plan includes home title monitoring and protection, along with three-bureau credit monitoring, award-winning identity theft protection, White Glove Fraud Resolution support, and more.
Why you should choose Identity Guard for home title monitoring:
- 24/7 home title monitoring with near real-time alerts. Identity Guard monitors the home titles of all properties in which you have an ownership interest, as well as other sensitive information in public records and online. If anyone attempts to change or alter your home title or uses your home address, you’ll get a notification in near real-time with guidance on what to do next.
- Award-winning identity theft protection. With Identity Guard, you also get Dark Web monitoring, data breach notifications, and social media monitoring. With over 4,400 reviews on Trustpilot, Identity Guard maintains a 4.3-star rating.
- Three-bureau credit monitoring with near real-time fraud alerts. With some of the fastest fraud detection in the industry, Identity Guard alerts you to hard inquiries, loan applications, and new credit card accounts, provides regular credit score updates, and offers instant credit locks and unlocks at each bureau. Beyond your credit, Identity Guard can also monitor your 401(k), bank accounts, and investment accounts.
- $1 million insurance policy. Identity Guard’s insurance policy covers eligible losses due to identity theft, such as legal fees, stolen funds, and lost wages. Filing a claim is as simple as calling customer service.
- Access to White Glove Fraud Resolution Specialists. Identity Guard’s fraud remediation experts are trained to help you reclaim your identity by shutting down existing accounts, reporting your incident to the authorities, and restoring your credit.
How much does Identity Guard cost?
Identity Guard offers a range of plans offering basic identity and credit monitoring to advanced security for you and your family. For home title monitoring and three-bureau credit monitoring, you’ll need to opt for the Ultra plan, which costs $19.99/month using this discount link.
Our take: Identity Guard is an excellent choice for homeowners with multiple properties who want a holistic security solution that provides more peace of mind than basic home title protection.
💪 Try Identity Guard for yourself. Protect your home, identity, finances and more when you sign up for Identity Guard today.
2. Aura
Aura is a relatively new identity theft and fraud protection service but has already been rated #1 by Money.com, USNews.com, TechRadar, and more.
Aura and Identity Guard are owned by the same company and provide similar levels of protection for your home title, identity, finances, and sensitive data. Aura differentiates itself by offering 24/7 dedicated fraud support, advanced digital security tools to help prevent hacking, and more support for families (including parental controls and up to $5 million in identity theft insurance coverage).
Why you should choose Aura for home title monitoring:
- Home title and address monitoring. Similar to Identity Guard, Aura continuously monitors changes to your address and home title, notifying you of any changes in near real-time.
- Three-bureau credit monitoring with the industry’s fastest fraud alerts. Aura monitors your credit at all three major bureaus. A 2022 mystery shopper survey found that Aura reported changes and potential fraud up to 250x faster than other services [*].
- Dark Web, data breach, and personal information monitoring. Aura monitors and protects your most sensitive personal information — such as your SSN, banking details, passport, IDs, and more. If anything is compromised or leaked, you’ll be alerted in near real-time.
- Advanced digital security and online privacy tools. Aura also proactively safeguards you against hacking and scams with AI-powered spam and scam protection, digital security for all of your devices (antivirus software, VPN, password manager, etc.), and Safe Browsing tools to block phishing websites and links.
- 24/7 White Glove Fraud Resolution support. Every Aura account includes 24/7/365 access to U.S.-based support specialists who can walk you through any potential fraud issues.
How much does Aura cost?
All Aura plans come with the same core features — including home title monitoring and three-bureau credit monitoring. You also get a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee on all annual plans.
Here’s Aura’s pricing and plans as of February 2024:
- Individual Plan: $12/month
- Couple Plan (two members): $22/month
- Family Plan (five adults and unlimited children): $24/month
Our take: Aura is ideal for individuals and families that are looking for an in-depth digital security solution. While it may cost more than other options, you get access to comprehensive security and protection for your home, identity, finances, devices, and more.
3. Home Title Lock
Home Title Lock monitors a single home title, informing you of any changes with the county recorder. Should fraud occur, Home Title Lock provides deed restoration services to help you get your title back.
When compared to Identity Guard and Aura, Home Title Lock lacks identity theft protection, credit monitoring, and other critical digital security features.
Why you should choose Home Title Lock for home title monitoring:
- 24/7 monitoring. Home Title Lock claims to have access to large databases of property records, and uses proprietary technology to track updates to your home title. That said, Home Title Lock can’t prevent fraud — it won’t notify you of suspicious activity on your credit report or data leaks that could indicate future deed theft or other types of identity theft.
- Fraud restoration experts. A team of U.S.-based restoration experts will help you interpret your state’s property theft laws and take the right next steps to retain your deed. But Home Title Lock doesn’t provide an insurance policy to compensate for any losses you might incur during a scam.
How much does Home Title Lock cost?
Home Title Lock offers three pricing options based on how you decide to pay — there’s no difference in the services you receive. Remember, each plan only covers a single home title. If you have multiple properties, you’ll need to pay for multiple plans.
- Essential Protection: $19.95/month
- Premium Protection: $199/year
- Ultra Protection: $796 for a 4-year plan
Our take: Home Title Lock is an expensive option that doesn’t provide the all-around coverage that Identity Guard and Aura do. And you must pay a fee for every additional property you add to your plan — without gaining any additional identity or credit protections.
🎯 Related: Is Home Title Theft Real? Here’s What You Need To Know →
4. LifeLock Home Title Protect
LifeLock Home Title Protect is a Norton product designed exclusively for deed protection. It is different from LifeLock’s other plans that include more comprehensive identity theft protection, digital security, and additional features.
Similar to Identity Guard and Aura, plans extend to an unlimited number of properties you may own, like second homes and rentals.
Why you should choose LifeLock Home Title Protect for home title monitoring:
- Fast fraud notices. You’ll receive notifications if a new lender or loan is detected that is associated with a property refinance, or if there is a notice of default on any of your properties.
- 60-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with the service, annual plans allow you to switch to another provider free of charge within 60 days.
- Member support. Like other options, LifeLock Home Title Protect comes with round-the-clock, U.S.-based resolution specialists available to work on your case or answer any pressing questions.
How much does LifeLock Home Title Protect cost?
LifeLock Home Title Protect starts at $9.99/month or $99.99 annually (as of February 2024). Customers who have other LifeLock plans can add Home Title Protection for $4.99/month or $49.99/year.
Our take: While it can be a cheaper option than Home Title Lock (especially if you have multiple properties), LifeLock Home Title Protect is still limited in how it protects your identity and assets. There are better options available for individuals who want 360° protection against fraud, identity theft, and scams, or aren't sure if LifeLock is worth the price.
🎯 Related: Home Title Lock vs. LifeLock — Which One Is Better? →
5. IDStrong
IDStrong is another all-in-one approach to identity theft protection that includes home title monitoring, along with credit protection and more. One unique feature of IDStrong is that you can perform a one-time free “scan” of your address on the company’s website to see if your home title is at risk.
Why you should choose for IDStrong home title monitoring:
- Title monitoring. IDStrong scans your title and property records for deed transfers, sales, and name changes on main residences, rentals, and vacation homes.
- Digital privacy and security. IDStrong’s lost wallet restoration, medical ID monitoring, and data broker removal set it apart from stand-alone home title monitoring tools. Yet, the platform is lacking other protection measures, such as a personal VPN, malware protection, and spam site blockers.
How much does IDStrong cost?
IDStrong has two levels of protection; both include home title monitoring (as of Febraury 2024):
- Standard (identity monitoring only): $19.95/month
- Comprehensive (includes credit monitoring): $24.95/month
Our take: IDStrong pitches itself as an all-encompassing package, but credit monitoring comes at a hefty fee. What’s more, IDStrong has a low overall Trustpilot rating with limited reviews — some of which report out-of-date information and disruptive alerts [*].
6. Deed Shield
Founded by a Florida attorney in 2019, Deed Shield is a newcomer to the home title protection market. The app monitors county property appraiser, county tax collector, and county public records for any updates or transfers.
Why you should choose Deed Shield for home title monitoring:
- Singular focus on deed monitoring. Deed Shield is a stand-alone home title monitoring tool that provides continuous monitoring of county records.
- More protection for Florida residents. Florida residents gain extra protection for commercial properties, as Deed Shield monitors Florida’s Department of State Division of Corporations records.
- $25,000 fraud protection. Deed Shield provides each active member with up to $25,000 to cover legal defense expenses and new title paperwork.
How much does Deed Shield cost?
Deed Shield costs $9.99/month per property.
Our take: Deed Shield could be an affordable option for property owners — particularly those in Florida — who want the most basic home title monitoring features. However, its lack of contact details and information online could be a cause for concern.
🥇 Don’t settle for second-best protection. Identity Guard’s award-winning all-in-one solution protects your home title, identity, bank accounts, devices, and more. Save 33% when you sign up for Identity Guard today.
How To Protect Yourself From Deed Fraud
The best home title monitoring tools protect your home, identity, finances, and more. But no tool can claim to completely shield you against online threats.
To make yourself a less vulnerable target for scammers and cybercriminals, make sure to:
- Monitor your bills, letters from lenders, and other mail. Strange letters about accounts, mortgages, or bills that you don’t recognize are clear signs of home title or address fraud. If your mail stops coming, that’s also a warning sign.
- Keep your personal information secure. Always shred sensitive documents like bank statements, medical bills, and tax returns so that identity thieves can’t steal your information from the trash. Refrain from sharing your location or posting any personal details on social media — even with family, friends, organizations, or other bodies of authority.
- Periodically check your property records. Many counties allow residents to check property records online, but you can also check them in person at the county assessor’s office. Review your records for indicators of real estate fraud, including new titles, liens for construction you didn’t approve, and court filings. Find out if your county has a free alert service for any changes of ownership, notices of sale, or notices of default.
- Regularly pull your credit reports, and look for signs of fraud. Every U.S. citizen is entitled to free credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — each week at AnnualCreditReport.com. Check your reports for unfamiliar hard inquiries, new home equity lines of credit (HELOC), or new utility accounts. If you see anything strange, file a dispute with each agency online or via a mailed-in dispute form; and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov.
- Secure your online accounts. Fraudsters may try to use your personal information to access online accounts — such as your bank, email, or social media. Make sure you’re using strong and unique passwords for each account. For extra protection, enable two-factor authentication (2FA), and consider signing up for a service that includes a secure password manager so that you don’t have to worry about remembering all of your individual passwords.
- Buy home title insurance. If you’re buying a new home, home title insurance can protect you from any fraud before the sale is finalized — from forged signatures to disputes with prior owners or fraudulent deeds. Usually, home title insurance requires a one-time payment. Pricing varies by neighborhood but tends to start at around $1,000.
The Bottom Line: Get Peace of Mind With Identity Guard
Home title fraud is just one of many serious issues facing Americans today. That’s why it’s important to look for an all-in-one provider that doesn’t just monitor your home title, but also protects you against hacking, identity theft, and other forms of fraud.
For the best protection, consider signing up for Identity Guard.
With Identity Guard, you get home title protection for all of your properties, identity and credit monitoring, Dark Web surveillance, Safe Browsing tools, $1 million in identity theft insurance, and more — all with a single plan.
