General Warranty Deed — A Warranty Deed is the most common type of deed used in Florida real estate transactions.
While the act of recording a quitclaim deed makes the transfer official in public records, Florida law does not mandate such recordation for the deed's validity.
Under Florida law, an unrecorded deed that is notarized and delivered, will be valid as between the parties (the grantor and grantee). However, as far as creditors or purchasers, an unrecorded deed is void because there was no notice of the transaction.
Florida law stipulates that a deed must be signed by the parties involved and witnessed by two individuals. If a deed lacks the requisite witnesses, it faces legal challenges. This can result in difficulties during property transfers and land record disputes.
There are many ways to look up the deed on the county's website. You can search by “Name” of Grantor or Grantee. If you search by “Document Type,” you must choose “(D) Deed” as your document type and then you can narrow the search by the date.
For a deed to be valid, it must contain several essential elements, including the operative words of conveyance, description of the property, signatures, delivery, proper formatting and execution, absence of defects and encumbrances, legal capacity of parties, proper recording, and voluntary execution.
Forgeryand fraud A forged deed is void under Florida law and is a third-degree felony. The term covers the fraudulent production of a legal document or making alterations to a legal document which may render it void. These forged documents can make their way into public records and be treated like legitimate documents.
Is Florida a Mortgage State or a Deed of Trust State? Florida is a Mortgage state.