Could Someone Steal Your House Without You Knowing?

House fraud - often called title fraud - usually starts with identity theft. A fraudster uses stolen personal information and forged documents to pose as the owner, then tries to transfer the home to someone else or register a mortgage or line of credit against it and take the money.

The owner may not find out until a lender demands payment, a notice arrives, or they try to sell or refinance and discover a charge they never agreed to.

• Mortgage-free homes - no lender is monitoring the property, and the full equity is exposed.
• Vacant or seldom-visited homes - including estates, cottages, and homes between tenants.
• Investment and rental properties - mail, tenants, and listings create more openings for impersonation.
• Seniors and absentee owners - especially where mail is redirected or no one local is watching the property.

• You receive mortgage, loan, or home equity line of credit (HELOC) statements or notices you did not apply for.
• A foreclosure or collection notice arrives even though your payments are current - or you have no mortgage at all.
• Property tax or utility bills stop arriving, or arrive addressed to an unfamiliar name.
• Mail arrives for someone you do not know, or your mail appears to have been redirected.
• A realtor, buyer, or tenant contacts you about a sale, listing, or rental you never arranged.
• You see a "For Sale" sign, showing, or listing for your home that you did not authorize.

1. Check your credit - regularly

A fraudulent mortgage or HELOC often shows up on a credit report first, as an inquiry or a new account you did not open. Check your reports with both of Canada's credit bureaus - Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada - and look for inquiries, mortgages, or credit lines you do not recognize.

If your identity has been compromised, ask about a fraud alert. Equifax Canada explains that a Fraud Warning is available to confirmed victims of fraud or identity theft, stays on the Equifax report for six years, and encourages lenders to call you before extending credit - though it generally does not legally require them to do so.

2. Check your title - at least once a year

Ontario does not offer a free automatic "owner alert" when something changes on title. That means you have to check. You - or your lawyer - can order a parcel register through OnLand to confirm you are still the registered owner and to see any new charges registered against the property. Do this at least annually, and immediately if anything feels off.

How to check on OnLand: Find your Land Registry Office, choose Property, then search by PIN, address, instrument number, or map, and order the Parcel Register. Step-by-step help

3. Watch the everyday paper trail

• •Follow up right away if a tax, utility, bank, or insurance statement goes missing.
• •Keep your contact information current with your bank, insurer, municipality, and land registry contacts.
• •For a vacant property, have a trusted local person check in - and watch for fake rental ads using your address or photos.

• Protect your identity like it is your house - because it is. Shred financial mail, secure your mailbox, and carry only the ID you need.
• Guard your Social Insurance Number (SIN). Store SIN documents safely, do not carry them in your wallet, shred documents that show your SIN, and provide your SIN only when legally required (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada).
• Be alert to phishing. Do not share personal or banking details in response to unexpected calls, texts, or emails.
• Ask about owner's title insurance. See below for what it does and does not do.

Owner's title insurance - the key cover to ask about

Standard home insurance does not cover title fraud. Title insurance is different: it deals with title defects and fraud affecting ownership.

If you bought title insurance when you purchased, confirm whether it included an owner's policy. If you own your home outright and never bought one, ask a title insurer or your real estate lawyer whether an existing-owner policy is available to you. Check your own policy for its coverage, limits, and exclusions.

Fortunately, title insurance does cover title fraud, and since the 1990s, pretty much all purchasers would have title insurance arranged by their real estate lawyer at the time of their purchase. I’ve had the odd client over the years who bought their house before title insurance became a thing, and have helped them get title insurance for their home.

1. Contact your bank or lender right away about any account, mortgage, or HELOC you did not authorize.
2. File a police report with your local police service and keep the report number.
3. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through its online Fraud Reporting System.
4. Contact Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada to dispute fraudulent inquiries or accounts and ask about a fraud alert.
5. Call a real estate lawyer and your title insurer (if you have a policy) about urgent steps to protect or restore title.
6. Keep a paper trail: save notices, statements, and a dated chronology of what happened.

• Check Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada credit reports for unknown inquiries or accounts.
• Order a parcel register through OnLand (or ask your lawyer to) and confirm owner and charges.
• Confirm whether you hold an owner's title insurance policy - not only a lender's policy.
• Shred financial mail; secure your mailbox; store SIN documents safely and out of your wallet.
• Keep contact details current with your bank, insurer, and municipality.
• For vacant or rental property: arrange local eyes on the home and watch for unauthorized listings.
• Note the reporting numbers below somewhere you can find them quickly.