Deep Dive
How to Read Your Title Commitment
Start with Schedule A
Confirm that the proposed insured name is spelled exactly as the buyer wants it to appear on the deed — including how a married couple will hold (joint tenants with right of survivorship, tenancy by the entireties, or as tenants in common). Confirm the policy amount equals the purchase price for the owner's policy, and the loan amount for the lender's policy. Confirm the current vested owner matches the seller named in the contract. Read the legal description against the contract and the survey — a single off-by-one block or lot number can derail a closing.
Work through Schedule B-I requirements
Every requirement on Schedule B-I needs to be satisfied before the policy will issue. Common requirements include: recorded payoff and satisfaction of the existing first mortgage, recorded release of any HELOC or junior lien, satisfaction of any IRS or state tax lien, release of any code enforcement or association lien, recording of the new warranty deed conveying title from seller to buyer, and recording of any new mortgage to the buyer's lender. For estate, divorce, or LLC-owned property, B-I will often require additional documentation — death certificates and probate orders, certified divorce decrees, LLC operating agreements and member consents, or corporate good standing certificates.
Read Schedule B-II carefully
Exceptions are items the title insurance policy will not cover — and they tell you something important about the property. Recorded easements may grant utility companies the right to maintain lines across the lot. Restrictive covenants may dictate everything from paint colors to fence heights to short-term rental restrictions. Plat restrictions may include setback requirements, drainage easements, and dedicated rights of way. Buyers should read every B-II exception and, if needed, request copies of the underlying recorded documents from us. The most consequential exception in a condominium commitment is the Declaration of Condominium itself, which governs every rule, restriction, and assessment in the building.
Standard Florida exceptions and how to remove them
Florida commitments typically include several standard pre-printed exceptions — rights of parties in possession, matters disclosed by an accurate survey, taxes for the current year not yet due and payable, mechanics' lien rights for work not yet recorded, and zoning. Several of these can be deleted or modified at closing through standard documentation: a current owner's affidavit, a no-lien affidavit, and an updated survey will typically remove the parties-in-possession, survey, and mechanics' lien exceptions and qualify the property for the Florida Form 9 endorsement, which expands coverage meaningfully for the buyer.
Endorsements that matter
Common Florida owner's policy endorsements include the Florida 9 (expanded coverage for typical residential risks), the survey endorsement (insuring against survey-disclosed matters), the condominium and PUD endorsements (insuring against association assessment risks), the environmental protection lien endorsement, and the access endorsement (insuring a public right of access). Lender endorsements are largely driven by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA requirements and are typically standard. Our team recommends the endorsement package on every commitment based on property type and buyer profile.
When the commitment changes
A commitment is a snapshot. Anything recorded after the effective date is not in the commitment. A few days before closing, we run a date-down search that updates the commitment through the day of closing. If a new lien, lis pendens, or other matter has been recorded in the meantime, we update Schedule B-I to add the new requirement and we address it before funding. This is the final guardrail and is part of every Atlantic Title Firm residential closing, refinance closing, and investor closing.
Need a title commitment on a Florida property? Order through our order desk or learn about our title insurance policies and title insurance overview.
