Philadelphia hearing lays out tangled‑title crisis, legal aid push and funding shortfalls

Philadelphia City Council’s Law & Government committee heard extended testimony on efforts to resolve “tangled titles” on Feb. 12, as registrars, housing officials and legal aid groups laid out the scale of the problem and the funding and legal changes they say are needed to speed resolution.

Chair Gilmore Richardson opened the hearing by citing local data and national research showing the stakes for long‑term homeowners and families who lack clear deeds. “Tangled titles is an issue that, personally, we’ve experienced in my family,” the chair told the panel as she described the process as “time consuming, expensive and frustrating.”

Register of Wills John Sabatina described a Title Clearance Unit his office created to coordinate probate assistance, legal referrals and deed recordings. Myasia Williams, who manages the unit, said the office has cleared 118 titles in a little over a year but cannot scale services without funding to cover probate costs—often cited in the hearing as roughly $400‑$1,000 per case. “We are free of charge, so…