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.
In states like Pennsylvania and Wyoming where LLC ownership is private, people often look for clues through public records connected to the LLC, like property deeds, mortgage documents, or lawsuits, which may list a name or signature. You can also check the LLC’s registered agent and mailing address in the state’s business database, then search those details online or use reverse address lookups. Sometimes, people search social media, news articles, or professional networking sites for connections. Hiring a private investigator or real estate attorney is another option when other methods don’t work.