Philadelphia’s New Title Clearance Unit Is on a Roll

The new Title Clearance Unit is fast becoming an essential element of Philadelphia’s office of the Register of Wills. Its mission and focus? Helping Philadelphians who inherited family homes, but never formally transferred the deeds.  

John P. Sabatina, who accepted the Register of Wills post in January 2024, promptly unveiled the new division, supported by council members. Since then, the Unit has been on a roll. It’s restoring deeds to heirs and untangling titles. It’s helping families apply for property tax relief, home improvement assistance, and fraud protection. It’s all good news for Philly residents who’ve struggled with the probate process and need to put their homes under new owners’ names.

City of Sisterly Love

Constance N. and Alfreda W. were raised in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia. The two sisters inherited a home there when their mother passed away during the pandemic, five years ago.

When they attempted to transfer the title into their names, they were unable to get it done. Because the transfer of property occurred when offices were shut down, they never went through the formal probate process. So the home stayed in their parents’ names. That meant Constance and Alfreda couldn’t access the equity in the home, nor could they apply for the City’s property tax relief.

A breakthrough occurred when Constance opened a letter from the office of the Register of Wills. The letter said the Title Clearance Unit was available to help the heirs finish probate, and formally transfer the deed. Myasia Williams, founding director of the Unit, guided the sisters, step by step.

“We are extremely committed,” said Register Sabatina in a press release, “to helping rightful heirs obtain clear titles for their homes.” For these Cobbs Creek siblings, that help was life-changing.

Helping Families Hold Onto Generational Wealth

Two and a half years ago, Deanna H. lost her 36-year-old son, a Philadelphia firefighter. Her son’s home in Northeast Philadelphia slipped into deed limbo.

Deanna did all the upkeep for the home. She paid the monthly mortgage bills, too. But as for getting the deed?  She remembers making various phone calls, but getting conflicting answers. Feeling defeated, she stopped trying to deal with the home title. Until she got a letter from the Register of Wills’ new title clearance division, and responded to it.

This year, the Title Clearance Unit came to Deanna’s rescue. The deed has now been righted, just as dozens of other Philly deeds have. Deanna’s title was straightened out in just three months. She reports that the process was easy, once she started working with the TCU. She was told exactly what documents she needed to find. She had no difficulty getting questions answered through emails or phone calls to city staff.

Deanna speaks of the financial and emotional relief this has brought to her family. Now, the office of the city’s Register of Wills has plans to expand so many more residents can feel a similar sense of long-awaited relief.

Register of Wills John Sabatina, calls the TCU’s work “extremely important to individual families and to the city as a whole.” When households are empowered to pass their deeds to family — preserving what’s known as generational wealth — whole communities are able to stay strong and intact.  

Finally Knowing What Homeownership Feels Like

Until recently, Rose Marie C. could only imagine being an official deed holder. The Title Clearance Unit stepped in for her and made it a reality. Her name now graces the deed of the row house she inherited from her life partner three years back.

Previously, Rose Marie rented — often in shared spaces.

Rose Marie spoke for a city press release, saying: “I am so blessed that I got a chance to see what it feels like to be a homeowner.”

Rose Marie could now seek the assistance of a council member’s staff to obtain home improvement help, and the city’s property tax break. Being named on the deed has its benefits — beyond just a good feeling.

“Very, Very Happy”: Title Clearance Unit Helps Brewerytown Resident Get the Deed to the Family Home

A resident of the Brewerytown neighborhood can also vouch for the power of the new Title Clearance Unit. “I’m a very, very happy man,” says Wendell D. And no wonder! He now holds the deed to a beloved family home, passed down through generations. Wendell credits the Unit for making this legal milestone possible. It had been “a long time coming,” Wendell says about the official deed transfer.

For Wendell and so many other city residents, home is where the heart is. It’s also the basis of intergenerational wealth and neighborhood stability.

To preserve wealth and create security for children and grandchildren, a properly transferred deed is essential. The new unit’s work in this area bolsters the broader goal of access to affordable housing,  promoted by City of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

To advance awareness about its effort, the office of the Register of Wills is actively present on social media, getting the word out to Philadelphians.

In Philadelphia, and Looking for Help With a Name Change on a Deed?  

The Title Clearance Unit offers a digital intake form on the office’s website. According to the office, the online intake form usually takes about a half-hour to fill in. It requires you to enter details about yourself, the late homeowner(s), and the property.

The Register of Wills’ office works with the information you enter into the system. Using your details, the office handles the research and identifies the best way to move ahead on your deed questions. Each household has its own set of personal and legal circumstances. Each resident is personally helped through whatever they need, be it title research, the probate process, tracing heirs, qualifying for property tax or home improvement relief, and keeping titles safe once they’re properly deeded.

You may call up the Title Clearance Unit in Philadelphia at 215.686.6262 to find out how to start.

Our congrats and appreciation go out to Register Sabatina and Myasia Williams at the Philadelphia Title Clearance Unit. It’s a well-known fact: thousands of Philadelphia households have titles in limbo. We wish the best possible outcome for each and every resident who’s striving to make homeownership a reality.