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Posted on by Len Pagtakhan

Mistitle: How to Correct a Philippine Land Title Error

After several attempts to purchase a home, my husband and I finally decided to materialize it on our 8th year together.  Since the husband is an engineer, we opted to buy a lot so he can get his hands on in building the structure we’d call our home.  We were able to fully pay for an  88-square-meter in a never-heard, quite-isolated subdivision in Laguna for less than 500k. After around 5 months of waiting, we were ecstatic when we finally got the title! We celebrated with unlimited rice in Mang Inasal’s 🙂

So we started applying for a Construction Loan (later, I plan on writing about our journey on it as well).  Out of the 3 banks, one, which happened to be our most preferred, pointed out about an error on our land title.

In the Philippines, a land property title is called Certificate of Title.  The original document is kept in the Registry of Deeds in every region.  The owners are given the TCT or Transfer Certificate of Title, which is the same with the Owner’s Duplicate Copy.  In 2017, when we first got hold of our copy, it was in a yellow paper but in 2019, we were issued with a blue lined paper.

The TCT bears a heading, stating from which region the property is under.  You will also find the names of the original owner, the previous owner and the present owner. Then, a technical description is provided, where coordinates as to where the piece of land is located.  Encumbrances are also included at the last part of the document. It is in the technical description where dirt was found in our TCT.  Though, it was clearly a typographical error (one number in the coordinates was stated as 17 instead of just 7), the bank emphasized that the title must be corrected first before we can start the process of our loan.

It was a shock to us but we had no choice but to find ways to solve the problem.  To save others from shock and ignorance of what to do in a case like this, here’s the process of correcting a mistitle, which we underwent in 2019.

The following information will be helpful if the error you have in your title is also in the Technical Description part:

1.  Go to your regional Registry of Deeds (RD) to get at least 2 Certified True Copies (CTC) of your title. 

In RD Calamba, price is less than P200 for the first 2 pages and less than P40 for each subsequent pages.  Processing usually takes 3 to 4 working days after.  In their office, there is always an announcement posted where they indicate the release date of papers being processed on that day.

2.  With a photocopy of your CTC and ID, go to DENR-Records Section. 

In Laguna, it is in Brgy. Lalakay, Los Banos.  Request for a copy of Lot Data Computation (photocopied bond paper showing lot descriptions of lots in a block since our property is in a subdivision) and a copy of Survey Plan (blue printed copy of the subdivision map).  For these 2, we paid P100.  We added P20 for them to stamp and sign, certifying it as well. Release is 4 to 5 days after you made your request.

3.  Next you will need the Certified Narrative Technical Description of your property and you will get it from DENR-Surveys and Mapping Division. 

In Calamba, it is just 3 blocks away from RD.  Bring the 2 documents from DENR-Records, photocopy of IDs of land owner/s, and the certified true copy of your TCT.  You will need an SPA (special power of attorney) if you have someone request on your behalf.  Price is within P200 and release is 4 to 5 working days again.

4.  While waiting for your TD (Technical Description), prepare your Affidavit of Discrepancy.

This affidavit states the errors you found on your TCT.   In our case, we have also provided a plot of our lot, following the erroneous description in the TCT versus the corrected plot.

5.  Claim your TD from DENR-Surveys and Mapping Division. Attach it in your Affidavit of Discrepancy together with the Original TCT, and your ID/s.  

Have these notarized.  We made 1 photocopy of all the documents and had it notarized as well to serve as our own copy.  In Muntinlupa, we got our documents notarized for P300.

6.  Go back to RD.  In Calamba, we went straight to the 2nd floor. 

At the Information Counter, we were given a number for queueing to a window for accepting documents.  It took us 3 hours of waiting before our number was called.  Upon receiving, the lady seemed to pull out information from the computer regarding our property, printed it and attached it together with our Affidavit.  Then, she gave us another number for the cashier.  We paid less than P500, then the cashier asked us to wait again.  It took another 30 minutes of waiting.  We were, then, invited inside the office when called.  Our documents were reviewed and received (stamped).  We were told to go back to claim our corrected title 4 to 5 working days.  The form from the cashier will serve as our claim stub.

7.  Last stop: RD to claim the corrected title.

When we returned to RD the next week, we were given a similar-looking TCT, except that its blue.  The Technical Description part was not corrected but they added a paragraph in the Encumbrances portion, stating the discrepancy and bearing the name of the lawyer who notarized our Affidavit.  I included this here, so you know what to expect when you come to get your “corrected” title.

My key takeaway from this experience is that inadvertent errors like these bring hassle to unknowing people.  But these unknowing people like ourselves, proved that we can have it corrected all by ourselves.  At first, we tried to find people who could help us but after a trip to the RD, government people there provided just-enough guidance for us to know what to do, one document at a time.

So, if you find an error on your TCT (Philippine property), I am here to tell you that you can have it corrected in a month or two and without breaking the bank.  My suggestion is for you to bring along a friend, with whom you can bond during queues and to take time to explore the places on your way to the different government offices.

Good Luck! Enjoy the journey!

110 Replies to “Mistitle: How to Correct a Philippine Land Title Error”

  3. thankyou for the information mam. May I ask po ano po ung unang ggwin if ipacorrect muna ung Technical Description ng title or pa transfer napo muna namin ung title under our name po? thankyou

    Reply

    1. Yung amin po was transferred to our name first before we discovered the errors kaya we did all the work kasi sa amin na nakapangalan. I guess you can apply that po with yours 🙂

      Reply

  4. Does this apply also to discrepancy in location. The Tax Dec and Property Information and Location Map shows the correct barangay of the property while the TCT shows another barangay location which is not the location of the property. Thank you in advance.

    Reply

    1. Yes, ma’am. The process is pretty much the same. The staff in the government offices will guide you on how to go about the process, don’t hesitate to ask for their help 🙂

      Reply

    1. Hi, inaccept na po ba ng bank yung new title nyo with additional info in the encumbrances section kahit mali pa rin yung technical description? Thanks!

      Reply

  7. Good Evening po,

    What if po yung technical description of the Land Title has lacking boundaries , boundary line 1-2 for instance is omitted from the Land Title?
    And that particular Title is being offered as loan collateral.

    Is it acceptable to the bank with the said discrepancy or they need to correct it first?

    If they need to correct, what is the first thing to do?

    Some fact: They already referred the issue to the ROD but claimed to have no discrepancy at all. But the bank insists to correct the omitted boundaries that is clearly not found in the title.
    my second question is, is there a time that the ROD will refuse to accept their errors?

    Lastly, What is the best thing to do if youre the BANK OFFICER who evaluated the loan? will you accept the said Title regardless of the discrepancy? because the ROD said that such discrepancy isnt a big deal? OR maging sigurista ang bangko para walang magiging problema if ever ma foreclose ang collateral?

    Your response will be a big help po 🕴🏾

    Reply

    1. Hi, I think almost the same po ito with our problem. Yung amin naman po, lagpas yung isang boundary line. Depends po sa bank if they will accept it as a minor error. In our case, one out of several banks yung ayaw tumanggap. Ino-honor na naman ng RDO yung mali kaya they guided us on how to have it corrected. I suggest, you try applying po sa banks. If they accept the title, good. If not, you need to go to have it corrected talaga. Sorry po for the late response 🙂

      Reply

    1. Hi po, the process maybe a bit different. I don’t think you will need to go to the DENR. Most likely, you will need to prove that the names (misspelled name and correct name) belong to one and the same person. Get your IDs and notary ready 🙂

      Reply

  26. We have the same issue, but our RD here in Rizal is asking for P50,000.00 to correct my title and I insist to ask the DENR for the correct technical description and so happened that all staff in DENR Los Banos are busy for Christmas Parties.

    Reply

  32. You actually make it seem so easy together with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something that I feel I’d never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am taking a look forward to your next submit, I will try to get the cling of it!

    Reply

  37. Good day po. I have the same concern sa Land Title po namin. I wish to clarify lang yung pagpunta po ninyo ng Survey and Mapping Division ng DENR for the Certified Narrative Technical Description yun copy po na ibibigay sa inyo is the amended/corrected na? Appreciate your reply pls. Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi Ms. Yeng, sorry for the very late reply. You will need to go back to HLURB and submit the documents from DENR. HLURB in Calamba will be the one releasing the “corrected” title. Thanks!

      Reply

  38. Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to create a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.

    Reply

  60. Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.

    Reply

  62. I am really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..

    Reply

  68. A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you ought to write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo subject but typically people don’t talk about such topics. To the next! All the best!!

    Reply

  92. Hi. Can you please give us the exact location of denr records section in Calamba and denr surveys and mapping division in Los Baños. Thanks. I tried looking at it through google maps but failed.

    Reply

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