What is the meaning of certificate of title?

certificate of title is a statement of opinion prepared by a title company, licensed abstracter or an attorney on the status of a title to a parcel of real property, based on an examination of specified public records. This certificate of title should not be confused with the certificate of title that is issued to a titleholder of land registered under the Toreens system, or with a title insurance policy. A certificate of title does not guarantee title, but it does certify the condition of title as of the date the certificate is issued, on the basis of an examination of the public records maintained by the recorder of deeds, the county clerk, the county treasurer, the city clerk and collector and clerks of various courts of record. The certificate also may include records involving taxes, special assessments, ordinances, zoning and building codes. Note that a certificate of title does not offer protection against "off -the-record" matters such as undisclosed liens, rights of parties in possession and matters of survey and location. Nor does it protect against "hidden defects" in the records themselves, such as fraud, forgery, lack of competency or lack of delivery. A title insurance policy, not a certificate of title, protects against certain off-the-record and hidden defects risks.