Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tangled Titles topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Register of Wills: Title Clearance Unit has transferred 29 titles in four months but lacks funds to clear many cases
Summary
Maisha Williams, director of the Register of Wills’ Title Clearance Unit, told the Committee of the Whole her team has transferred 29 property titles in four months and screened over 100 complex cases but needs more funding to cover fees that prevent deed transfer.
At a Committee of the Whole public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2026 budgets, the Register of Wills’ Title Clearance Unit reported clearing 29 property titles in the past four months and screening more than 100 complex cases, but said many families still cannot afford fees that prevent deed transfer.
Maisha Williams, who runs the office’s title clearance work, told council members: “At this time, our title clearance unit is working with constituents from start to finish with the process of clearing their property titles.” Williams said the unit refers residents who meet income thresholds to community legal-service organizations but directly assists property owners who do not qualify for income‑based legal aid.
The office said one of the primary hurdles is the costs associated with clearing titles: inheritance tax, title reports and delinquent liens. A senior office official told council members the office is “actively seeking funding through grants from nonprofits, financial institutions, and legislative initiatives” to cover those costs for families who are not income‑eligible for traditional legal aid.
Council members and staff discussed program history and options. Officials said a prior program, referred to as the PDI program, deferred some fees but placed liens on properties and has been replaced by the Title Clearance Unit. The office said some estates older than 21 years must begin in Orphans’ Court, which can lengthen and complicate the process.
Council members pressed for state-level responses to fee barriers. Committee members asked the register’s office to produce a list of legislative changes or grant approaches they could pursue with the city’s state delegation — including amnesty or fee‑deferral programs and raising eligibility thresholds for city-funded assistance. Office staff suggested that past state amnesty programs were successful and that creating a legislative or city grant targeted to households above the poverty line could help clear many cases.
Why it matters: Council members described tangled-title cases as a barrier to generational wealth and home preservation, especially in Black and Brown neighborhoods. One council member told the hearing his office’s data showed as many as 10,000 active tangled-title cases citywide.
Other operational details: Williams said the unit has several active cases expected to be ready for deed transfer in the coming months; the unit identified lack of flexible funding for necessary fees as the major slowdown. The Register of Wills’ chief solicitor, Frank Campisi, described efforts to appoint neutral administrators in some intermediary estates so the process can proceed more quickly, but noted outcomes vary by case.
Ending: Council members requested written follow-up on how many cases remain in various backlog categories, what happened to participants in prior programs, and a legislator-ready list of changes the city should seek at the state level.
