Lake County Transfer on Death Affidavit Form (California)

All Lake County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Transfer on Death Affidavit Form

Lake County Transfer on Death Affidavit Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 7/11/2024

Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

Lake County Transfer on Death Affidavit Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 5/8/2024

Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Affidavit Document

Lake County Completed Example of the Transfer on Death Affidavit Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Lake County compliant document last validated/updated 7/19/2024

When using these Transfer on Death Affidavit forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Lake County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Lake County Assessor-Recorder

Courthouse - 255 N Forbes St, Lakeport, California 95453-4757

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m

Phone: (707) 263-2293 Recorder; (707) 263-2302 Assessor

Local jurisdictions located in Lake County include:

  • Clearlake
  • Clearlake Oaks
  • Clearlake Park
  • Cobb
  • Finley
  • Glenhaven
  • Hidden Valley Lake
  • Kelseyville
  • Lakeport
  • Lower Lake
  • Lucerne
  • Middletown
  • Nice
  • Upper Lake
  • Witter Springs

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Lake County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Lake County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Lake County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Lake County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Transfer on Death Affidavit forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Lake County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Lake County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by California or Lake County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Lake County Transfer on Death Affidavit forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Using an Affidavit of Death to Claim Real Estate from a California Transfer on Death Deed

Transfer on death deeds allow individual landowners to transfer their real estate when they die, without a will or the need for probate distribution. The transferor simply executes a TODD form, then records it during the course of his/her natural life, and within 60 days of the signing date (5626(a)). Unlike grant deeds or quitclaim deeds, the owner continues to hold title to the property when a transfer on death deed is recorded (5650). As such, TODDs are exempt from transfer taxes and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR).

What happens, then, when the owner dies? Section 5680 defines the process for switching the title over to the beneficiary. The beneficiary may establish the fact of the transferor's death under the procedure provided in California Probate Code Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 210) of Part 4 of Division 2. The first step is obtaining a certified copy of the death certificate. Then research the recording information from the transfer on death deed identifying the beneficiary. Complete an affidavit of death and sign it in front of a notary. Finally, file the affidavit, along with the copy of the death certificate, in the recording office for the county where the property is situated. Note that this act transfers title to the beneficiary, so it also requires the PCOR and any associated taxes and fees.

Beneficiaries take title to the property under the rules set out at section 5652. Be aware that any associated debts, obligations, or agreements in place when the owner died follow the real estate to the beneficiaries. In addition, the title transfers without warranty, so the beneficiaries might find themselves liable for future claims against the property. For these reasons, among others, some beneficiaries might wish to disclaim the gift (5652(a)(1)).

In general, transferring title to the beneficiary of a transfer on death deed is a simple process. Even so, complications may arise. Contact an attorney for complex situations or with any questions.

(California Transfer on Death Affidavit Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Lake County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Lake County Transfer on Death Affidavit form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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July 26th, 2024

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July 25th, 2024

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July 21st, 2024

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WJ H.

December 6th, 2021

The Quit Claim Deed for the state of Ohio worked for me, saving me the cost of an attorney doing it. O.K., maybe that wouldn't have amounted to more than a few hundred dollars, but anywhere I thought I could save money (and learn something new on top of it) is something I want to do.

That said, be forwarned. While I'm not an attorney I'm not averse to spending many hours researching the lingo found in this kind of form and thoroughly understanding exactly how everything has to be filled in.

I should add that my ex-wife and I remain friends and she was the one giving me the property/house (thus, technically I filled out the forms on her behalf). Because there was no personal conflict, it made it easier to undertake.

Lastly, what others have said about the county office where you must file a Quit Claim Deed not being helpful, that's true in the sense that they do not want to be instructing non-attorneys on filling out the necessary forms. I did take a preliminary draft set of the forms to the county office but was VERY CAREFUL about explaining that I only needed a couple of questions answered about procedure for submitting the final documents. They were helpful once I made it clear I wasn't asking them for "legal advice". And their help was critical as the final submittals requires stopping at three different offices (MapDocuments, Auditor and finally the Recorder's office).

So I say thank you to Deeds.com. Their service for the Quit Claim Deed was invaluable.

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August 6th, 2019

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July 25th, 2020

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November 1st, 2022

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Douglas C.

August 30th, 2019

Excellent website with examples on how to fill out forms. Even better was the help from the office of the county clerk. I called them twice and they were extremely helpful on how to fill out the forms. Kudos to them!!!

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December 17th, 2021

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March 22nd, 2019

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August 1st, 2020

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June 10th, 2019

excellent reference

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Kevin M.

May 14th, 2019

All I can say is WOW. They were so fast and professional. I received my copy of my deed that same day I requested it. There was some confusion on my part but within minutes it was explained.

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Frankie A.

February 19th, 2021

Deeds.com recorded documents for me without any issue. It's a good service and provides a lot of assistance on its web site. However, I asked for a printed receipt (i.e. an pdf copy of one), but after a staff provided me with an obvious answer, they simply ignored my follow up requests. I also asked a simple formatting question that they should have been able to answer; instead, they passed the buck and referred me to the recorder, which currently is a very time-consuming venture. They also have no telephone number for any issue. Generally, the service saves me the time and effort of physically recording a document, but when you think about $19.00 per recording seems like a steep price for the services rendered.

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