As Deed Fraud Threatens Michigan Homeowners, Hope and Santana Introduce Bills to Protect Victims

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 15, 2026 — State Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt), state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit), and fellow lawmakers today introduced a package of bills (HBs 6433-6436) to help Michigan homeowners who fall victim to deed fraud reclaim their property, recover their losses, and seek justice.

“Deed fraud can be devastating, leaving homeowners fighting for years to reclaim what is rightfully theirs,” Hope said. “Michigan law punishes this crime, but victims still face costly legal battles to restore ownership. We cannot afford to brush aside a problem we have the power to address. That is why we are taking action.”

Deed fraud occurs when someone forges documents to falsely transfer ownership of another person’s property. Criminals can then attempt to sell the home, take out loans against it, or evict the rightful owner. Victims may not discover the fraud until someone else claims ownership of their home. Correcting the public record can take years in court and cost thousands of dollars in legal fees.

“Protecting the homes of our constituents begins with ensuring that our laws have strong safeguards, meaningful oversight, and real checks and balances to prevent fraud and correct systemic errors,” Santana said. “My constituent Tom, like far too many Michigan homeowners, found himself fighting to defend his property rights and prevent his home from being stolen right out from under his nose. No one should have to fight to keep what they have rightfully earned. Our homes represent stability, security, and generational wealth. It is our responsibility as lawmakers to ensure that the systems designed to protect homeowners never become the very systems that put their homes at risk.”

The Wayne County Mortgage and Deed Fraud Unit has received more than 15,889 inquiries and opened more than 2,913 cases since 2005. Although Michigan has criminal penalties for deed fraud, victims often face a separate, costly legal process to restore their ownership.

“As director of the Housing Justice Clinic at Michigan State University College of Law, I have represented dozens of victims of deed fraud who were forced to prove that they still owned homes they never sold. Deed fraud can be remarkably easy to commit and extraordinarily difficult to undo. This package gives victims a faster path to clear title, more time to bring legal claims, meaningful remedies for their losses, and relief from tax consequences caused by fraudulent transfers. It will go a long way to help these victims,” said Donovan McCarty, director of the Housing Justice Clinic at the Michigan State University College of Law.

The legislative package would:

• HB 6433 (SB 1217): Create a faster, less expensive court process for homeowners to challenge fraudulent deeds. If no one disputes their claim within 35 days, or there is a related criminal conviction, homeowners could ask a court to confirm their ownership without paying a filing fee.
• HB 6436 (SB 1216): Extend the deadline for victims to file lawsuits from one year to three years after discovering the fraud or the conclusion of a related investigation or criminal case, whichever comes last.
• HB 6434 (SB 1218): Allow victims to sue deed thieves and recover $5,000, three times their actual financial losses, and attorney fees.
• HB 6435 (SB 1215): Protect homeowners from property tax increases caused by fraudulent deeds while ownership disputes are being resolved.

“Deed fraud steals the one asset many families have spent their whole lives building, and right now victims pay thousands just to get back what’s already theirs. Rep. Hope’s package gives them a no-fee path to clear title, time to fight back, and real consequences for the people behind these schemes. It’s long overdue,” said Khadja Erickson, executive director of the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center and housing chair of the NAACP Lansing Branch 3145.

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