You purchased a property at a Florida tax deed auction. You want to sell it, refinance it, or obtain title insurance so you can move on to the next investment. But you cannot, because the title is clouded by the tax deed sale, and no underwriter will insure it on normal terms until that cloud is cleared.
You have three options. You can wait four years for the statute of limitations to expire, tying up your capital the entire time. You can file a quiet title action, which produces a court judgment clearing title but takes 90 to 120 days. Or you can obtain a tax deed title certification, which produces insurable title in approximately 30 days, without filing a lawsuit.
If your priority is speed, the certification is the fastest path to a closeable, insurable property.
A tax deed title certification is an attorney-led review of the tax deed sale procedures and the property’s complete title history, conducted in coordination with a title insurance underwriter. If the review confirms that the tax deed was properly issued and the underwriter approves the certification, a title insurance commitment can be issued on normal terms, with no exceptions related to the tax deed sale.
The practical result is the same as a quiet title judgment: you can sell the property by warranty deed, refinance it, or obtain an owner’s title insurance policy. The difference is speed. A certification takes approximately 30 days. A quiet title action takes 90 to 120 days. For the investor who needs to close a sale, release capital, or move inventory, that difference is measured in months and dollars. One important limitation: the closing of the sale or refinance must take place through a title agent partnered with the underwriter who approved the certification. A quiet title judgment, by contrast, is accepted by any underwriter.
A flat $2,590. That is the total price. There is no separate research fee, no upfront charge that you lose if the certification cannot be issued, and no additional costs. You pay one flat fee, and the work either produces a certification or it does not.
If the certification cannot be issued because of a title defect that requires a quiet title action, the $2,590 certification fee is credited toward the quiet title representation. You do not pay twice. The research already performed feeds directly into the quiet title suit, and you are already with the attorney who will handle it.
The alternative tax deed title certification services operating in Florida are not law firms. They explicitly say so on their websites. They employ consultants and researchers who review tax deed sale procedures and coordinate with underwriters. What they cannot do is represent you in court, file a quiet title action on your behalf, defend your title if a former owner challenges the sale, or handle any legal issue that goes beyond the scope of the certification review.
This matters because not every certification succeeds. When a certification service determines that your property does not qualify, you receive a report telling you to go hire a lawyer and file a quiet title action. You have paid the service’s fee (or at minimum their non-refundable research fee), and now you are starting over with an attorney who has never seen the file, who will conduct their own title review, and who will charge you separately for the quiet title work.
When you work with this firm, the attorney who reviews the title for certification purposes is the same attorney who handles the quiet title action if one is needed. The title research is not duplicated. The file is not handed off. The facts do not need to be re-explained. The transition from certification attempt to quiet title action is seamless, and the certification fee is credited against the quiet title representation. You are working with a Florida real estate litigation attorney who handles both the certification and, if necessary, the litigation that follows.
If a competing claimant surfaces after the certification is issued, if a former owner files suit challenging the tax deed sale, or if any title dispute arises that requires legal representation, you already have counsel. The certification services cannot say that. Their involvement ends when the certificate is issued, and if anything goes wrong after that, you are on your own.
The alternative certification services operating in Florida use a split-fee structure. You pay a non-refundable research fee upfront (typically $900 to $950) before the service determines whether your property qualifies for certification. If the research determines that the certification can be issued, you pay a second fee (typically $1,550 to $1,850) for the certification itself. If the research determines that your property does not qualify, you have paid the research fee and received nothing but a recommendation to go file a quiet title action with someone else.
The firm’s flat $2,590 fee eliminates that risk. There is no separate research fee. You are never in a position where you have paid hundreds of dollars for a certification that was not issued. The total cost is known from the outset, and if the certification cannot be issued, the fee credits toward the quiet title action rather than being lost.
The certification services also operate from outside Florida. At least one major service is headquartered in California. They coordinate with Florida title agents and underwriters remotely, which works for routine certifications but provides no local presence, no familiarity with local recording practices, and no ability to appear in a Florida court if a title issue escalates beyond the certification.
This firm is based in Jacksonville, Florida. It handles tax deed matters in all 67 Florida counties. The attorney reviewing your title is admitted to practice in Florida and litigates real estate disputes in Florida courts regularly. If anything goes beyond the scope of the certification, the firm handles it directly rather than referring you elsewhere.
After you retain the firm, the process works as follows:
Step 1: Title review. The firm and its title underwriting partner review the property’s complete title history, the tax deed sale procedures, the notice and service records, and the chain of title. This review determines whether the tax deed was properly issued and whether any defects exist that would prevent the underwriter from insuring the title.
Step 2: Defect identification and resolution. If the title review identifies issues that need to be resolved before the certification can be issued (outstanding municipal liens, missing assignments, curative documents that need to be recorded), the firm works to resolve those issues as part of the certification process.
Step 3: Certification. If the review confirms that the title can be insured and the underwriter approves the certification, a title insurance commitment is issued on normal terms, with no exceptions related to the tax deed sale. The certification is provided directly to you and can be presented to any title agent partnered with the underwriter to obtain a title insurance policy for sale, refinance, or owner’s coverage.
Step 4: If certification cannot be issued. If the title review reveals defects that cannot be resolved through the certification process (a competing ownership claim, a deficiency in the tax deed sale procedures that requires judicial resolution, or another issue that requires a quiet title action), the firm advises you of the specific issue, explains the options, and handles the transition to a quiet title action if you choose to proceed. The $2,590 certification fee is credited toward the quiet title representation.
The typical timeline from retention to issued certification is 30 days or less.
Most tax deed properties in Florida qualify for certification. The certification process works when the tax deed sale was conducted properly, the statutory notice requirements were met, and the title history does not contain defects that require judicial resolution.
Properties that may not qualify include those where the tax deed sale involved significant procedural irregularities (deficient notice, improper publication, or other due process issues), properties with competing ownership claims from parties other than the former tax-delinquent owner, and properties with title defects unrelated to the tax deed sale that independently cloud the title. The firm evaluates qualification at the outset and will tell you directly if the property is not a candidate for certification.
Approximately 30 days from retention, depending on the complexity of the title history and whether any curative work is required. Some certifications complete faster; a small number take slightly longer if the title history involves unusual issues that require additional research or coordination with the underwriter.
Both produce insurable title. A quiet title action is a lawsuit that produces a court judgment; it takes 90 to 120 days and costs $1,990 (for tax deed matters). A certification is an attorney-led title review that produces a certification accepted by underwriters; it takes approximately 30 days and costs $2,590. The certification is faster but costs more, and not every property qualifies. For properties that qualify, the certification saves 60 to 90 days. For properties that do not qualify, the quiet title action is the fallback.
You are not out the money. The $2,590 certification fee is credited toward the quiet title representation, so you pay the difference between the certification fee and the quiet title fee rather than paying both. The title research already performed feeds directly into the quiet title action, and you are already with the attorney who handles it. There is no handoff, no duplication of work, and no starting over.
Yes. Once the certification is issued and a title insurance commitment is obtained, the property can be sold by warranty deed with a full title insurance policy, the same as any other insured property. There are no restrictions on the sale price, no limitations on the type of deed, and no exceptions related to the tax deed sale. The closing must take place through a title agent partnered with the underwriter who approved the certification.
Yes. The certification allows a lender's title insurance policy to be issued, which is what the lender requires to fund the loan. The property can be refinanced on the same terms as any other insured property. The refinance closing must take place through a title agent partnered with the underwriter who approved the certification.
Very little. The firm handles the title review, the underwriter coordination, and the certification. You may need to provide documents related to your tax deed purchase (the tax deed itself, the certificate of sale, and any closing documents), and you may need to sign an affidavit or other document as part of the certification process. The firm handles everything else.
All 67 Florida counties.
The firm works with major Florida title insurance underwriters. The specific underwriter depends on the property's location and the title agent handling the closing or refinance. The firm coordinates with the underwriter and the title agent to ensure the certification is accepted.
The alternative services use a split-fee structure with a non-refundable research fee ($900 to $950) paid upfront, plus a separate certification fee ($1,550 to $1,850) if the certification can be issued. Total cost ranges from $2,500 to $2,750 or more for a first-time customer. If the certification cannot be issued, the research fee is lost. This firm charges a flat $2,590 with no separate research fee and no money at risk. If the certification cannot be issued, the fee credits toward a quiet title action handled by the same attorney.
Yes. If you have been using an alternative certification service and want to work with an attorney who can handle both the certification and any litigation that may follow, the firm accepts new clients at any time. The initial evaluation is included in the flat fee.
