I am currently trying to find ownership info for a property in Pennsylvania owned by an LLC. The state does not make LLC ownership information available to the public and I have not been able to find any skip search services that are able to get past this barrier. What are other people doing in states like this? I know this is also true for Wyoming.
In most States, the Title Report can be requested by anyone.
Try going to the County Assessors/Recorders office and look up the owner with the APN or Address.
We paid for a title search, and all that came up was the name of the park’s LLC, which the park was titled to.
The operating agreement that accompanies an LLC and lists who owns what shares is not public record.
A beneficial ownership agreement required for newer LLCs is not available to the public. And it appears older LLCs do not have to file them.
I have not as yet found a way to discover who actually owns an LLC.
Officers are listed on OpenCorporates online, but many times everything from president down to registered agent is the same person. And I know in the case of the park I researched the man listed in all offices did not own the park, only managed it.
The title was listed in the LLC’s name, and the mortgage was in the LLC’s name. The mortgage on file will have who signed it for the LLC, but that person is only required to hold as little as 10% and be designated the managing member in order to mortgage the property, and if the mortgage is older, the person who signed it may have even sold his shares off to someone else.
Property management companies that manage mobile home parks for a fee and do not own any part of the park often file an LLC for tax purposes and open a checking account in the park’s name to deposit rent into and pay expenses out of, and the LLC doesn’t actually own the park.
Another thing to check for is an incorporated holding company with a name very similar to the mobile home park’s registered LLC name. These holding companies sell off shares to investors. Look at OpenCorporates online, find the LLC for the park in question, then run the officers names. You can check a box on that site to look up LLC officers rarher than by the company name. This is how I find the holding companies associated with each park.
LLCs are meant to act like a duck blind, for people to hide behind.
OpenCorporates is also an excellent site to check if the LLC in question is in good standing in the state it was filed in.
There are a variety of ways to do this, but I know personally that some owners take measures to keep this private. A few states including Delaware, do not publish member names in the public record making that state anonymous. I live in Delaware, so many of my LLCs are anonymous there. Even at that, you can still find the information but it is more challenging.
We also operate in other states, and have to publish a manager name publicly.
You have to keep in mind that some of these ownership structures are put in place to protect anonymity and to protect against frivolous lawsuits.
Those who organize in Delaware want to be anonymous. It is possible that a Delaware LLC is owned by another LLC, perhaps in Nevis and that foreign LLC could be owned by a trust perhaps formed in the Cook Islands with a Trustee based in New Zealand. This structure makes it difficult to find the true beneficiaries.
When forming in an anonymous state, it is also important to choose a 3rd party registered agent, to provide further anonymity.
One helpful trick is to search for the park’s permit to operate. Some states keep a searchable database.
Another one is to try to find any violations or code compliance issues.
A health permit is usually needed if the park has a well or septic system. The true owner is usually listed on the paperwork.
There is also a website Corporation WIKI you can try. Sometimes, folks will be associated with another Corp, which can lead to additional clues.
Here are some Clues from ChatGPT:
TA-7 Mobile Home Removal Permits (Issued by Tax Collector) Generally lists date, owner’s name and address, taxing district, description of mobile home, destination, certification that all taxes have been paid and signature of Tax Collector. Retain 2 years after expiration. Pretty much every park owner has to have a home removed.
- Luzerne County: Provides a detailed list of mobile home parks, including owner names, contact information, and property details.
- Erie County: The Department of Health licenses and inspects manufactured home parks, maintaining records that may include ownership information. Erie County PA
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED): Oversees manufactured housing programs and may have relevant data or contacts. PA DCED
Wherever possible we put any name on the permit or license including the LLC name, the manager name, our attorney’s name, etc. so people cannot find the LLC members. Seems like people try to find the LLC owners, and the LLC members do not want to be found because the cold calls are annoying.
The latest trick I learned is you form a trust, buy a property and your trustee is listed as the trustee of the trust in county records. The deed gets recorded that way. Then, the trustee resigns and a secondary person (not in the county record) becomes the new trustee, but the old trustee is still on the deed. Now you are forever kept off the county record and people won’t call you as much.
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