Forum Discussion

Orion's avatar
Orion
Explorer
Jul 14, 2019

Selling Canadian MHome in US with no title

A recently widowed friend of ours has consigned her Foretravel DP to a dealer in Phoenix for sale. We helped her move it down there at the end of last year.
Vehicles in Canada, in our province anyway, do not have an actual title, but a registration with the province.
The Mhome has now been sold, but the lack of a title now seems to be a real problem to the dealership and is suggesting that she go down there IN PERSON to complete the transaction.
As this could entail one of us going down there with her, this would appear to be an expensive and unnecessary trip.
Does any one out there have any experience with this? Posted here as more Canadians might see it. I did see somewhere that not all US states issue titles either?

18 Replies

  • The consignment undoubtedly contained a clause requiring the consignee to provide all necessary documentation to facilitate a sale. The fact a dealer took it on consignment doesn't negate any paperwork requirements.
    When you bring an item from one country to another for the purpose of sale, it is required that the product be legally "imported". For personally owned vehicles from Canada this is generally taken care of at a port of entry by the legal owner. Apparently, you neglected to tell the border agent the vehicle was going to be sold in the US, so now there is a problem. No state is going to issue a tile, and Foretravel isn't going to be able to provide a replacement certificate of origin.
    For all the states know, the vehicle may have a huge bank lien on it from a Canadian Bank and someone is trying to outrun a repossession and get a big chunk of cash at the same time. They won't issue a title without proper paperwork and that paperwork includes import documentation.
    This isn't going to be easy. Best place to start to get real answers will be US Customs.
  • Thanks for all your help with this. I have been passing all this on to her and she will forward it on to the dealership.
    I thought after I posted this last night that someone must have the original title!
  • As a former DMV employee, all states know that Canada doesn’t issue titles and would require a bill of sale along with it. Compliance with the safety requirements is often an issue, but it sounds like it originated in the US so that shouldn’t be a problem. The other sticking point may be that it was not imported properly, which would require paperwork from the import company.
    It seems like calling the dealer and finding the actual problem is in order, travel seems unnecessary. Perhaps a 3 way call with the Arizona DMV.
  • If she has no title she has to go to who has the title last and they have to get a replacement and sign it over to her
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer III
    Did you not receive the Texas title when you purchased it? I'd think you ought to be able to sign that over to the new owner. (I'm not a DMV employee, though, neither for Arizona nor for any other state.)
  • Thanks for the info noteven! I should have added that the Mhome was purchased used in the US a few years , from Texas. This should even simplify matters, I would think. ?
  • The AZ dealer accepted for sale and then sold MH without evidence of title? That’s a dealer to avoid! It could have been stolen...but they’ll sell it.
  • Contact Foretravel and ask if they can issue a Certificate of Origin / Title for the coach, or assist you with a statement of compliance and NAFTA content at time of manufacture

    If no dice on a copy of the title from Foretravel then:

    Make a call to AZ motor vehicles and ask if they can issue replacement title acceptable in the US based on documentation you can supply such as place and date of manufacture, registration, Bill of Sale showing the purchase by your friend, no outstanding safety recalls and a Statement of Fact letter notarized by a lawyer etc.

    If that fails try other western states but not Colorado they create a new title with a replacement VIN that does not have 17 digits for gawd knows what reason.

    I helped a BC friend who sold a US made travel trailer in WA which is less complicated than a motor vehicle. We had to present the trailer in person for a state official to inspect it for intact compliance labels. All good sale completed.